The Princess And The Moon
by queen misanagi
Summary: A witch struggles with her feelings for a thief, whose life is suddenly endangered by a mysterious organization that seem to favor all things black. Secrets of the past are uncovered and another legendary thief is resurrected.
1. Fairytale

Disclaimer: I don't own DC nor MK.

Author's Notes: I try to be canon as much as possible. This is the spin-off sequel to _Feature Story _(another fic of mine, do check it out if you have the time_)_. Good thing about this is that even if you didn't read _Feature Story_, you can still catch on and understand this one. Some references are made from that story, but not much.

O O O

_The Princess and the Moon_

_Chapter I: Fairytale_

"_Once upon a time, there lived a princess who fell in love with the moon."_

All stories start with "once upon a time". The anonymous narrator wouldn't tell you exactly when it happened. Like dreams with no start or ending. Like fragments of memories after an amnesia. Like something you want to forget. Or worse, like something you keep on remembering that it deteriorates after every use. Like from your memory recording player. Its vinyl, scratched and broken. Distorted.

"_Every night, she would gaze at the luminous orb in the sky from her balcony in the castle, and pray hard that it would come upon her. Every night, she longs. Every night, she lives. Every night, she loves."_

And, love. Of course there is love in every story. Why shouldn't there be?

I keep on reading the story aloud, as I stand, poised. The classroom was silent save for yawns with a lazy autumn afternoon at fault. Book in one hand and the other parting the bangs away from my eyes.

I look around and see every boy's pair of eyes on me – even our pervert of a professor Katoko Noboru-sensei – well, everyone except _his_, of course… I continue reading the stupid fairytale from page forty-five of our English book. After the fourth paragraph, Katoko-sense raised his right hand in his gesture for me to stop.

"Excellent as always, Akako-chan," he said as he shifted on the teacher's chair. "You may now take your seat."

I did as bid. It irked me that he was calling me "Akako-chan" but I let it slide. I'll save my anger when my snakes need some feeding. That perv of a teacher assigned this girl seated in front to read the next few paragraphs. His eyes were glued on her chest.

Such child's play this studying thing, really… If it wasn't for _him_, I wouldn't put up with this. I don't need this, anyway. Everything I need to learn, I already know. And it's not like I want to get into university.

"Koizumi-san, you have such a nice English diction," this guy seated beside me said. I forget his name… Sano? Sato? Whatever.

"It must be so nice to be rich and traveling all around the world," he continued to rant. "That must be why your accent is perfect… If I didn't know you, I would think you grew up in America!"

"Thanks." I flashed him a smile. The fool's eyes lit up like Christmas lights on crack.

"Okay next to read is Nakamouri-kun," that perv of a sensei said.

As the girl in front (Keiko? Kiki?) took her seat, Aoko stood up and – hey, what do you know, _he's_ suddenly paying attention to class.

"The fairy took pity on the maiden and visited her in her room one night," Aoko read.

Is it just me or is she wearing push up bra today? His eyes were surprisingly not focused there… He's… Oh fuck, he's looking at the way her lips move.

I try to fight that uncomfortable feeling in my chest that makes me want to snap someone's spine.

"The fairy gave the maiden three choices – one, to be a star that always accompany the moon, two, to be the sun who gives the moon light, or three, to be the clouds that will shield the moon from the earth," Aoko continued reading.

Hm. To be fair, not a bad accent. I keep looking at him and he remained entranced with her lips. It made me boil inside. It made me want to –

_Crash_!

Shouts.

Panic.

A baseball from the field has crashed into a window and almost hit Aoko. Shards of glass hit everyone seated near the windows… except for me, of course.

Everyone in the class turned to where Aoko was seated. She wasn't there anymore and neither was Kaito.

Katoko-sensei, along with his bushy beard and dark-framed glasses, panicked at once. He stood up from the chair and started scratching his head.

"Where are – how did they – are they – ?"

"They're at the back of the room," I told the professor.

As usual, I need not look to know. It's this fucking annoying super intuition that makes me see things 360. I can see Kaito carrying Aoko on his back. I can see little beads of sweat drop onto his uniform collar. I can hear him panting from exhaustion.

"Did you just carry her all the way there?" Katoko-sensei asked.

Kaito nodded.

"Kaito put me down!" I heard Aoko say.

I couldn't bear to look at them in such an intimate position. I closed my eyes and hoped the image from the back of my head would go away.

Katoko-sensei asked the two boys seated nearest the back of the room's door to check the field to see which class caused the ruckus. The rest of the class was in pandemonium.

"Kuroba-kun you were so fast! You're like a ninja!" said this pigtailed girl from in front of the class.

"You're like a newly-wed!" said her seatmate with long (and obviously fake) lashes. I tried to remember her face very well so I can voodoo her later. Probably some curse so all her lashes disappear. Maybe an eyebrow, too.

Some idiots laughed while the others teased some more. Others were talking about that the ball would have been a home run and that since we were in the second floor, whoever hit it must have a good arm. Katoko Noburu had a hard time making everyone "settle down, settle down, show's over."

"Kuroba-kun, Nakaouri-kun, would you kindly go back to your places? Why does the two of you always make a scene out of everything?"

Aoko looked flustered. "Sensei, it wasn't really our fault that the ball came crashing to the room."

The perv raised his bushy unibrow. "With all the trouble you and your magician boyfriend cause, I would even think that you attract trouble by just being yourselves. Now can you please return your seats? I hardly think another ball would fly into the room again. Oh and remind me to write an incident report to – "

Out of nowhere, there was another loud, crashing noise. I didn't expect it this time. A soccer ball had forced its entry to our classroom. It broke the window glass near the board and knocked the petite, empty flower vase on top of the teacher's table. If Katoko-sensei had not stood up earlier, his face would have been bull's eye.

I looked around and saw that familiar mad glint in Kuroba Kaito's eyes. So, this time it was his doing…

Just in time, the two boys, whom Katoko-sensei asked to check the field, returned.

"Sensei, there was no one," one of them asked. He was out of breath.

"No one's using the field. It's empty," said the other one.

I turned my head to look at Kaito again. This time, he was also looking at me.

O O O

After class was just as chaotic. The earlier episode of the mysterious balls was outshined by Hakuba Saguru who arrived for last period. He just came from the police head quarters to meet with Aoko's otou-san about their pre-heist preparation.

While waiting for our Math teacher, everybody crowded around him to – I dunno, exactly. I don't find amusing his stories of some boring police conference. These people are too simple-minded and are probably bored with their own lives.

Hakuba-kun seems to be enjoying the attention, though.

"He did send the notice. I saw it with my own eyes." He was adjusting his uniform's cuffs for whatever reason.

I shot Kaito a look and he avoided my eyes this time. He pretended to be fascinated with the darkening outline of the clouds in the sky.

Hakuba kept on ranting. "I bet you all saw it in the television last night. He really is planning to steal the _Purple Majesty_gem that will be displayed in Touto's Museum for Modern Arts."

There were nods and affirmations from the thickening crowd. Actually, everyone except Aoko and Kaito were not in that circle. Our classmates are so easy to read. Half of them are KID fans and the other half are fans of Hakuba Saguru. Or maybe they're all a bit of both.

"Is it going to be another showdown between you and KID?" said that girl Kaki (Kika? Keki?) with the pigtails.

"It appears so," Hakuba-kun said.

I walked over to the huddle. "I just don't get why the amethyst would be displayed in a modern arts museum. Jewels are anything but modern."

Hakuba looked up at me with those clear, blue eyes. "I'm afraid, my lady, that your concern has something to do with business rather than political correctness. The jewel is being displayed at that museum for publicity, they say. Touto's Museum for Modern Arts opened its doors just recently and the owner also invested a huge amount of money to bring the gem here in Japan."

Then, though uninvited, he ranted on about the history of the gem – how it was originally owned by a cruel, European prince who ate the hearts of his slaves. The prince believed eating the hearts raw would grant him immortality, the detective said. Both girls and guys looked sick to their stomachs. I reveled in their expressions. I loved every flinch of their faces.

Just as he was starting to elaborate on the rumor about the gem's powers to bring wealth to its owner, the substitute math teacher, a fresh graduate from Beika University, walked in. She was carrying her copy of our text book and also, a magazine.

"Delivery for Hakuba-kun!" the young teacher said. It's too obvious that she was in love with the detective. Ours is the only class she goes to with layers upon layers of make-up. Imported make-up nonetheless, if my intuition serves me right. Imported perfume, too. Probably a British brand.

"That must be my copy of Nichiuri's new magazine," Hakuba said as he stood up and took the copy from the substitute. "I'm one of the cover boys of the magazine, as you can see. They have a feature story on young detectives and of course, they didn't forget Hakuba Saguru."

He held up the magazine for all to see. He and a dark-skinned teenager graced the cover. They were seated on a Victorian-looking couch. The girls gasped while guys muttered their congratulations.

"I'm sorry to have bothered you, Minako-sensei," Hakuba said. He turned and smiled at that slobbering thing holding the books. "I was just too excited that I had it delivered here. Thanks for letting me use your name as the addressee since the school can only accept deliveries for employees."

That _thing_ I'm ashamed to call teacher had blushed. She said something that sounds like "any time don't worry about it don't hesitate to ask for any other favors"… but it also could have been "please consider me I want to give you babies and lots of them". I dunno, I wasn't really paying attention.

"Nakamouri-san was also interviewed for the article as someone who would shed a brighter light on my character," Hakuba said. "Of course, the story is about the romantic relationships of us young detectives and we all know that Nakamouri-san is my interest."

The girls threw dagger stares at Aoko's direction. Minako-sensei looked like she wanted to strangle her to death.

Aoko waved her arms to gesture the confession to be false. "As a friend! Kaito was there too during the interview! He was our chaperone! Tell them Kaito!"

Kaito just turned away. "What're you asking my help for?"

Minako-sensei tapped the chalk hard on the blackboard. It was so hard that the chalk piece broke in half.

"Okay that's enough about Sagu-cha – Hakuba-kun's love story," she said. "Can you children please go back to your seats now?

Those simple-minded fools went back to their places. Sensei had started teaching but no one really bothered to listen. Almost an hour has passed and then it was time to go home. Most of our classmates stayed and crowded around Hakuba as he read the article out loud.

I glanced around and saw that Aoko was nowhere in sight. Kaito, on the other hand, was in the other corner of the room and was talking to someone in his mobile phone. I waited for him to finish his phone call before I approached him.

"I don't assume that you were talking to girlfriend because I saw her leave and you're not the type who calls her when you've just spent the whole day together," I told him.

He pocketed his phone. "It's a new friend."

"You know, it's an old saying that when you gain a friend, you also gain his enemies." I gave him one of my sweetest smile.

"I'm well aware of that," he said. "Now, what do you really want to talk about?"

"I was just curious where Nakamouri-san is…"

He gave a frown. "She rushed to Beika to hang out with some new friends. Oh, and just to be clear, we're not together. Now, that's still not what you want to talk about…"

My lips started to quiver and I swear I didn't do it on purpose. I bit on my lower lip hard before I talked.

"Don't go after the amethyst," I finally said.

Please, listen to me this time… I don't want anyone to catch you, except for me. Until I can have your heart, you must remain safe. Please, Kaito…

He raised a brow and in annoyed tone, he asked me, "How many times do I have to tell you that I'm not KID?"

"And how many times do I have to tell you I'm a witch and that I know everything about you, Kuroba Kaito!" I said in defiance. "Even about the incident on Valentines Day and how I cast that spell on you. And even of that almost-failed a heist at the Ochima Art Museum."

Kaito had that poker face on. "I don't know what you're talking about, princess."

"Whatever, Kaitou," I said.

"It's Kaito!" he replied as his face started to show signs of being pissed off.

"Kaitou," I repeated. Whatever. I know who you really are.

"Anyway, if I'm KID, I don't think I'll be backing down any challenge." He walked back to his seat as I followed him. "KID has never failed, after all."

This hard-headed son of a –

"There are other people after the gem," I said.

"I know," he replied as he cramming in books and notebooks into his bag. "You're several heists too late for that warning."

"It's a different group," I told him. "Lucifer told me that the white devil should be careful not to taint his wings black. Lucifer warned me that the crows are coming."

"Here you are again with those riddles of yours…" He yawned and finally closed the zipper on his bag. "Don't think about KID too much, ne? Who knows what kind of ball would fly into the room next time…"

I blushed. Blushing was disgusting and a show of weakness but I couldn't help it this time. He knew that I aimed the ball at Aoko. Chances are, he also knew I was jealous.

"I warned you, thief." I watched him as he walked to the door.

I slumped on my chair and waited for the others to leave. I wanted to get a personal item from that girl in front who said Kaito and Aoko looked like newlyweds. It's for the voodoo doll, see. I was so focused on remembering the process of making the doll that I didn't notice Hakuba Saguru behind me.

"An enchanting lady shouldn't depress herself over a boy who wouldn't return her affections."

I turned around and there he was, seated on the table behind me. The magazine was rolled up and tucked into a pocket.

I raised an eyebrow at him. "If you're talking about Kuroba, you're wrong."

"Wrong about you having feelings for Kuroba-kun? Or wrong about him not returning them?"

"Wrong on both accounts," I said.

He only smiled and we stayed silent for a while. The classroom was near empty now.

"The heist will be this Friday," he finally said. He got off the chair. "I know you'll be there. You worry about him as much as I do."

"You're chasing after him and you call that worrying?"

"You're worrying about him and you call it apathy." He patted my head in what he probably thought is a gesture of good will. "They're just labels but it doesn't change what we really feel."

"You're wrong," I insisted. "I don't feel anything for him. If you ask me, I think it is he who is enamored by my charms but of course, he can't have me!"

Hakuba shook his head. "Ah, well, as they say, there is nothing more desirable to a man than a woman he can't have."

I was left speechless as he said his goodbye, leaving me alone in the room with my thoughts.

O O O

After collecting the samples of my classmate's hair, I was on my way home when I spotted that annoying phantom thief by the river bank.

He was talking to a fat lady with short, brown curls. She was wearing this long, red dress with a black, knitted shawl over her shoulders. She kind of reminded me of an old aunt who lives with cats. I approached them.

"Kuroba-kun, who is this?" I asked. He turned around and smiled at me.

"This is Kisa-san," the thief said. The cat lady bowed. I returned the gesture. I noticed she was holding on to a copy of the magazine.

"She said she's a fan of my otou-san and even trained under him for a while. I saw her waiting for me by the school gate, hoping to get a chance to talk to me," Kaito said.

"Is this your girlfriend, Kaito-kun?" she asked in a voice well-fitting for a cat lady. It sounded like a cat's purr. There was something about that voice that doesn't seem right.

"Iie, iie! She's a friend, that's all!" Kaito was waving his arms around like mad.

"A pity. She's very beautiful," the lady said.

"I'm Koizumi Akako, it's nice to meet you," I said with a bow. Japanese niceities.

"If he's a friend of your otou-san, how did she track you down?" I asked.

"She said she saw my picture in the magazine." Kaito turned to me and explained. "The one with Hakuba in it? You see, two weeks ago, he was interviewed to be featured in the magazine and Aoko was interviewed, as well. I was chaperoning her and the reporter insisted that I should join the photograph."

"I found the photograph in the inside pages," the cat lady said. "I was surprised when I saw the caption underneath the photo that says 'classmate Kuroba Kaito'! Basing from the surname, I thought that he must be Toichi's son… even their likeness is extraordinary!"

"Well, they are father and son," I said matter-of-factly.

The cat lady's lips twisted into a sly smile. I sensed that she had caught the sarcasm in my comment and wasn't pleased by it.

"You'd be surprised about resemblances, young lady. It happens that I am also interested in young detectives and if I hadn't read the caption, I would think that I was seeing Kudou Shinichi," she said. Her voice sounded cold this time. Icy. Piercing.

Also, that name… Kudou Shinchi. The black angel. The threat from the East. I recalled his name from during the clock tower heist.

"Of course, I was more pleased to know that the young boy must be Toichi's son! That's why I came to see for myself. It's a good thing the article mentioned where you and that young detective were studying."

The lady opened the magazine to the centerfold and pointed to a large photograph of Hakuba, Kaito and Aoko, together with four other teenagers and a little kid.

Kaito scratched his head and faked a laugh. "I have a common face, that's all. I heard there's a kendo champion in Osaka who looks just like me and that Kudou guy."

"You must be a really big Toichi fan to have followed Kaito," I said. My distrust for this chatty, cat lady is growing by the second.

"I just wanted to see if his son is doing well, that's all." Again, that irritating smile. I feel that she's hiding something.

"I lost touch with our old group of friends many years ago and began traveling around the world. It is only until recently that I've gone back to Japan," she continued.

"Kisa-san said she used to be a stage actress but now she's a manager of a traveling theater troupe," Kaito said. The boy looked so relaxed! He probably isn't sensing what I was sensing.

"Oh," was all I could manage to say. Theater acting involves putting on masks or characters. Maybe this lady is...

"Maa, I better get going," she suddenly said. "It's getting darker and I don't want to delay you kids from your date."

"It's nothing like that!" Kaito repeated in a frantic tone.

"I'll see you soon, Kaito-kun," cat lady said with a bow. "It was a pleasure meeting you. And you too, Koizumi-kun."

We both bent our heads to return the gesture and said our goodbye-it's-nice-to-meet-you-toos.

"She was really nice," Kaito said when the cat lady was out of earshot. "She told me stories of my old man when he was teaching them. She said he trained actresses on make-up and disguise and people from all over the world would fly in to meet him."

He sounded melancholic. He was smiling but his voice betrayed him.

"He's really great, my chichi, you know," he continued. "He only lives in their stories now. That's why I'm really glad when I meet an old friend of his, especially when they tell me stories that I haven't heard before. It's like he's alive again."

I knew he was struggling with this. I felt pathetic that I doubted the woman the entire time. She only meant well. Probably.

"But it also confuses me… When I hear their stories, it's like I'm discovering a new side to him and I also feel like maybe I really never knew him at all." He was staring at the last rays of setting sun. Slowly, he lowered his head. "Well, he's a magician after all, and a magician has many secrets."

I wanted to hug him. I know I should have said something really comforting, or patted his back, at least. Or maybe I should have hugged him, after all… but I just stood there like an idiot.

"I'm sorry for going on like this, princess," he said. "But thanks for listening. Do you want me to walk you home?"

I shook my head. "Arigatou, but there's something I have to do," I said.

We said our goodbyes and I sped off. He must've been bewildered from my actions but I didn't look back to check. I knew what I had to do. I need to find that cat lady and maybe ask a photograph from her or something.

I ran some more and I entered a closed alley. I checked if no one would be passing the alley. When I saw the street deserted, I brought out a compass from my bag.

The compass was made of bronze and titanium. Engraved all over the compass were symbols only my people could understand. I muttered them under my breath and closed my eyes. I pictured Kisa-san on my mind and touched the hand of the compass.

The hand spun wildly and when I opened my eyes, the hand pointed east. Now all I have to do is keep following the hand and it would lead me to Kisa-san. I walked through streets and alleys and finally, the compass led me to Ekoda Nature Park.

It was pretty easy to spot cat lady because of her shiny, red dress. The park was quite empty, save for an old couple, who was feeding some pigeons. I thought she was going to sit beside them to feed some pigeons too (or cats) but instead, she entered the Nature Trail.

The trail was located at the rear end of Ekoda Nature Park and it's basically just a forest of sorts for trekking, bird watching and small-time camping. Odd, the trail is popular among teenagers and young professionals who wanted to hike… elementary kids who would go camping, too. I never knew the cat lady was also interested in this. My old doubts sprung back to life.

_Ding-dong._

The bell of the old clock tower said it was six in the evening. My doubts grew. Why would an old lady fancy a trek at this hour? I had to take precautions. I hid behind a tree and took out a vial of invisibility draught. It only works for a few hours but this would do.

I watched as I disappear and I slathered some potion on my clothes and stuff, too. When I was completely invisible, I entered the forest. She wasn't far and kept walking at the speed of an old cat lady. Nothing suspicious. I sped up so I could follow at her heels.

She must've sensed my movements because she did turn around to check if anyone was following her. I covered my mouth with my hands so she wouldn't hear my breathing. She searched around the nearby trees before going onwards. I crept quietly behind her.

We walked a few more minutes before she abandoned the trail. I followed, careful not to step on broken branches or leaves on the ground. It was growing dark and the trees were growing thicker. We must be at the heart of the forest by now.

She stopped at this empty space. I almost gasped when I saw what appears to be a giant mound. It was a giant earth mound but now it's a shiny, red motorbike. The flashy type. It appears as though she covered it with a camouflage cloth. Now what would an old cat lady be doing with a motorbike?

She smiled at it and adjusted the mirror.

"This is one of my ugliest disguises yet," she said. She used a different voice. This must be her real voice! She used it because she thought she was alone! My heart started to race.

She fumbled at her neck and when I thought she was going to reach for a pendant underneath her dress, she instead started peeling her face off.

Aha! So even her face is not fake.

When she has completely taken off the latex face, she cast it aside. She was beautiful. Golden waves on her head, pale skin, rosy lips. She reminded me of that princess in the book we were reading in class earlier that morning.

She checked her face on the mirror one more time. She must've seen something on that mirror because she turned her head to the sky. I did the same.

_Oh_. The sky was really dark now and there were no clouds nor stars. Just the moon. Like the full moon that captured the heart of the princess.

_Once upon a time, there lived a princess who fell in love with the moon..._

"Toichi," she said with a smile on her lips. She scoffed before fishing for something out of that dress' pocket.

It was her phone. She dialed a number. Her mobile phone was that type that made sounds when you press the keys. The sound the keys made reminded me of a Japanese children's song. The one about the crows.

"Yeah it's me," she said to whoever picked up the phone. "I went to see the boy. Toichi's kid… Yeah, the one that looks like that detective boy Kudou… He's what we expected. He's exactly like his father."

Her lips twisted into a sinister smile. "We got him," she said. "We got KID."

_Next: The Lady in Red_


	2. The Lady In Red

Disclaimer: I don't own DC nor MK. If the manga is available in your country, do support the mangaka and buy a volume, or two, or all.

Author's Notes: Did anyone notice that in the last chapter, the one Kaito was talking to was Conan? (Based from the last chapter of Feature Story)

Also, this Saturday is the airing of Magic Kaito episode 4! It's the Akako episode! Watch it if you're in Japan and if you're not, it will definitely be posted in Conan TV. I'll change some details here once the episode airs. I still don't know the name of Akako's butler since they didn't give him one in the manga. If he has a name in the anime, I'll use that one.

O O O

_Chapter 2: The Lady in Red_

_Denial_. It's the first stage of depression, characterized by an overwhelming numbness and unnatural indifference to the crisis.

By the time I got to Kaito's house, I was soaking wet.

He came out after two rings of the doorbell.

"Konbanwa, what can I do for – Akako!" he exclaimed.

I must've looked really horrible because he really did look worried. He let me in and I staggered inside. He took off a sweater he was wearing and put it over my shoulders.

"What happened to you? Why were you walking out in the rain? Why don't you have an umbrella with you? And even if you didn't have an umbrella, can't you use some magic spell to produce an umbrella or a raincoat?"

I opened my mouth to say something but no words came out. It was so cold, but I was slowly getting used to it. I was running under the rain for almost an hour, after all. Funny thing about the cold, after a while, you get numb to it.

"Oi, I was only kidding… What happened to you?" he said.

I could only cough and it was such a terrible cough that I lost my balance. Kaito caught me. I felt the ground moving. I needed to sit down before I tell him the story.

"Do you have a change of clothes?" he asked. His arm was still around me as he guided me into their living room.

I shook my head. He asked me to sit on the couch while he fetched some clothes.

I kept on coughing. It took him less than a minute to get an oversized white shirt and a pair of plain, baby blue shorts. He also brought a dry bath towel.

"I think these may fit you. Don't worry, they're clean." He handed the clothes and the towel to me.

"I think it's better if you change first before you tell me why you're here," he said as he sat beside me. "Or you know, just admit that you came over because you missed me." He smirked.

I narrowed my eyes at him and he held up a peace sign to tell me he was just joking.

I tried to stand but I almost fell out of balance again.

"You don't mind if I do the changing for you? Ne?" he asked.

I shook my head.

"Okay… Close your eyes, princess," he said. "Count to five."

"_One… Two… Three… Four…"_ I mentally counted in my head before opened my eyes. I looked down and I was already dressed in the oversized shirt and shorts. Dangling on his arms were my school clothes and underwear.

"HEY DID YOU SEE MY – WHY DID YOU REMOVE EVEN MY UNDERWEAR?"

If your whole body could blush, mine probably did.

"That's the Akako I know! I can't stand you looking all silent and sickly like that." He smirked. "Now use that towel to dry off your hair before you catch a cold."

"YOU SAW IT DIDN'T YOU?"

"Oh please, it's nothing I haven't seen yet." He stood up and shrugged his shoulders. "I'll put these in the dryer and you better use that towel on your hair. You're dripping on our couch. Haha would get mad at me if it gets all moldy."

I nodded. I coughed some more as I used the towel to squeeze out the water from my hair. He smiled.

"So what can I do for you? Matte – don't answer that yet… Let's get you in a better shape first. We don't have soup but I have instant ramen." With that, he left me alone in the room and went to where I presume is the kitchen.

Hmmm. I'm in Kuroba Kaito's house. And we're probably alone. Just thinking about it made me blush again, probably just in the face this time. I patted my hair dry with the towel and put it aside when I was done.

It's getting late. I'm in his clothes and I'm not wearing any underwear. This is a whole new side to him. I didn't know he was capable of fussing over me like this.

I shook my head. What was I thinking about! Of all times and I get preoccupied by stupid, girly thoughts! What's more important is –

"Three minutes."

I look beside me and there he was. It was no teleportation, just a magician's natural swiftness. In his hands were a ramen cup and disposable chopsticks. He placed them on the coffee table.

"Let's wait for that to get cooked. It's probably not like those course meals you get at home but I haven't done my groceries yet," he said.

"It's fine," I said. "Thanks."

"I think we have some cough drops but I'll get it in the kitchen after you've had the ramen," he said.

I nodded. "Kuroba-kun, can we talk about what happened now?"

"You think you can manage it?"

"Of course," I said. I need to fake my usual ease and confidence.

"Does this have something to do with Kisa-san?"

"How did you know?"

"You kind of ran after her right after we talked," he said.

"She's not who she says she is," I started. "I followed her and she went to that trek trail in the Nature Park and there was this flashy, red motorcycle and she took off her face and she talked to someone on the phone – "

I coughed. I was still not well, after all. Maybe I shouldn't have rushed it.

"Slow down a bit!"

"She's after you! She knows you're KID! She also knows your dad has been the former KID and that you may have inherited his job!"

Obvious panic. I saw it in his eyes. He faced away from me as he feigned indifference.

"Maa, assuming I am KID, why should I worry about this? They've got no evidence and this wouldn't be the first time someone went after me…"

"This enemy is stronger," I replied. "And she said she's going to observe you for a while to check if you're really KID. She's not that sure yet because she also said that it's possible the KID may be one of your dad's followers."

I couldn't see his face but I could tell he was deep in thought.

"Let's pretend that I am KID and you're telling me this because you're worried for me… Then you might've also heard if the woman mentioned names of her partners," he said. "Say, for example, maybe Jackal?"

I shook my head. "She didn't mention any names. You know, for 'pretending' to be KID, your concerns are pretty accurate…"

He scoffed. "Assuming you are also a witch, then you should've just cursed her to get it over with."

My eyes started to water. I started to shake. It was freezing but the fear is what's consuming me.

"I… I tried, of course…" I said.

"Oi what's happening to you?" He put his hands on my shoulders.

"I tried putting a curse on her but it didn't work… There's something inhuman about that woman! She's shielded by something…" I was crying now. I buried my face in my hands so he couldn't see my tears.

"Then… Then the spell backfired on me…" If he heard that last part because I was too inaudible, I might never know. But he did give me a hug.

"It's okay, it's okay," he tried to say, but I know he was already having a hard time convincing himself.

"Oh god, Kuroba, I lost my powers…" I let go and cried onto his chest.

O O O

_Anger_ – second stage of dealing with loss. I wasn't angry, though. Just confused. Maybe I was angry-confused. More of angry with myself that my magic failed me, and confused with how the world worked. Being without my magic is like losing one of my senses. Like losing my sight or an extra pair of hands.

It took two cups of ramen and a chocolate bar to calm me down. Kaito just held onto me the whole time I was sobbing and shaking.

By the time I was finishing the last piece of the chocolate, he asked where my bag was. I told him that when my magic backfired, this invisibility spell I used started to fade so I had to run away from Kisa-san, or whatever her name is. I said that I dropped my bag somewhere in the forest and I just ran and ran and ran until I reached his house.

"I don't know if my mind was playing tricks on me but I swore I heard some gunshots from where she was… Maybe she sensed someone was following her and started to shoot… Maybe she even saw me…"

Kaito frowned. "The important thing is you're here now, princess. Maybe it's best if you spend the night here."

"That's not necessary," I said. I coughed a bit. "I need to get back and consult the situation with my caretaker. As for you, you better start planning on how to trick that woman. She knows who you are and all it takes is a look at the directory to know where you live. She might even be observing us this very minute."

"If she's observing us this very minute, then wouldn't it be more suspicious if you leave now? Why not just stay the night? She thought you were my girlfriend, after all." That annoying smirk on his face. Somehow, without my powers, I felt weaker against his charms.

"If she saw my bag in the forest, we would be doomed to begin with," I said "She'd make the connection that I saw her change into her real self and that I went here to warn you.." Cough. Cough. Cough.

"But she doesn't know that _you_ know that I'm KID… If I am KID, that's what I mean to say… She could also think that you were shocked that I was accused of being KID, so you came here to confront me…"

Smart guy. I didn't think of that. Cough. Cough.

"What about the disguise?" I asked.

"A lot of people disguise! Secret agents, for one. She could have been a police officer in disguise, to spy on me. If you didn't know I was KID, that's the first thing you would think of," he said. "Speaking of, maybe she really is just part of the police, or the CIA or the Interpol…"

I shook my head. "I know she isn't… And what kind of law enforcer would shoot a civilian?"

"You've got a point there." He stood up and we were silent for a while. "I'll go around the house and check for bugs. I think I also need to call someone."

"I'll be going now," I said. Cough.

"Iie. I won't permit that, princess. I would be heartless to even let you out of this house." He walked to the window and pushed the curtains aside. "And the rain isn't showing any signs of stopping."

"It's okay, I can summon my broom and – "

Oh. Right. I tried to hold back tears. He must've noticed it and he sat down again and patted my back.

"Think of it this way – at least you can cry freely now without having to think of spells you cast which might be broken," he said.

Oh yeah, he knows about that. I revealed to him this secret that night I tried to voodoo him with the magic circle. Once a witch cries, the effect of the last spell she cast will be removed. This is how I learned to control my emotions early on. I have to hold back tears every time I'm doing a curse or a spell, or even when brewing a potion, or while using one of my magical objects.

"Here," he said as he materialized a red rose in his hand. He gave it to me and I muttered a thanks. I gave him a half-smile.

Cough. Cough. Cough. Cough. I'm really not feeling well.

He looked at me with a bit of a frown before he scooped me out of the couch. He was holding me the same way he was carrying Aoko this afternoon. "Like newly-weds," I remembered our classmate say.

He carried me to where I presume the staircase is located.

"Oi! Oi! Be careful where you're touching! I'm not wearing any underwear!" I told him as I beat my fist on his chest.

"I know, I'm the one who took them off, remember?" he said with a wink.

"IF I ONLY HAVE MY POWERS! I'LL – " Cough. Cough.

"Don't push yourself too hard, ne?" he said as we went up the stairs. "You can stay in my haha's room. She's traveling abroad and she won't be back soon. I would've lent you her clothes but she brought almost all her stuff with her."

We reached the top of the stairs and I could only see two doors in this floor. We approached the one on the right. He kicked it open. The lights weren't on yet but you could see what's going on outside from the glass windows. The storm was raging outside and the room was bathed in moonlight. Or streetlight. Whatever.

The room was quite big. The walls were probably painted with a dark color and it had a grotesque vibe to it. It was probably because of those cleavers and scythes I saw stacked on the corner. Just like my own room. Comfy.

He eased me onto the bed. I rested my head on the pillow. Cough. I put the rose he gave me beside the pillow. He sat on the bed.

"Are those real?" I pointed to the knives. "And are those bloody bandages?" I was unsure because of the dim light of the moon but as I looked around, I saw more odd choices for room decoration. Somewhere beside the bed was what I recognized as an Iron Maiden.

"They're props. Haha's a bit of a horror fanatic. Don't mind them, just go to rest," he said.

Oh yeah, his okaa-san is _Phantom Lady_, I remembered.

"Your hair's still a bit wet, though…" He touched my bangs.

I sat up. "But Kuroba, there's no time to rest! We should be planning about this!" Cough. "She might be on her way now, with her comrades! And as we said, what if she already bugged this place?"

"We've been talking about this for a while now. If her surveillance equipment is the one that records the sounds, she would've barged in now."

I blushed. I have been blabbing about this even if I was the one who brought up the surveillance scenario. "What if they're gathering enough evidence before they barge in?"

"I never admitted I was KID, ne?" He moved closer. "And you're just my paranoid girlfriend who suspects I'm KID and ran to me when she heard some suspicious character accusing me of the same thing."

Girlfriend, he called me. He's really into this role play.

My heart was beating wildly. It's the first time I felt it race like this. With my constant checking on other people's thoughts and feelings with my own powers, I had forgotten how it feels like to hear my own heartbeat… To feel just my own feelings and to be able to hear just myself think. This is different indeed. Everything seems more intense.

I shook my head to remove these girlish thoughts.

"What if their surveillance is the camera type?" I asked. "I'm telling you, just my presence here is a warning signal for them that something's up!"

He smirked. "Cameras, ne? If there's no sound, then it's safer. They would have no idea what we're talking about. You could appear to be my girlfriend who came over to have some fun." He moved closer. Too close.

"What do you – "

His index finger was enough to push my upper half back down the bed.

"Kuroba what're you – "

He put a finger on my lips to silence me. "We have to be convincing, my princess. You said it yourself."

My head was spinning. Is this really happening? Next minute, I was under him. My heart was still beating furiously. What's happening? His face is too close, I can smell his shampoo.

I blacked out before I could remember anything else.

O O O

_Bargain_. After anger comes bargain. You would wager anything to get what you had back. You would be willing to exchange almost anything. Some people would get back together with a former lover under the condition of changed habits. Some would consult psychics to talk to dead family members. That sort.

The sun was shining from the window when I woke up.

I was still in Kaito's okaa-san's room. The walls were painted cream and not black as I recalled. It also seems that he tidied up the room while I was asleep. The Iron Maiden and the other horror props were nowhere in sight, just a white dressing table with a mirror and a foot stool. Beside it was table with a desktop computer. I was shocked to find my bag beside the keyboard. There were traces of mud on the straps.

The door opened. "As I expected, you're awake," Kaito said as he came in. He was dressed in different clothes now and it looks as if he had just gone out.

"What time is it?" I sat up and rubbed my eyes. That's when I noticed that the rose he gave me the night before hasn't wilted yet and it was exactly where I placed it.

"Half past three in the afternoon." He sat on the bed.

"School!"

"Called in sick. For you and me both," he said. "I couldn't leave you here alone. You were burning up after you fainted last night."

I blushed. "Oh… So nothing happened?"

He turned away. Was he blushing too? "Of course not! I was only teasing! I'm not the kind of guy who takes advantage of an unconscious girl."

Cough. I actually felt better now but the cough remained.

"You got my bag back," I said.

He nodded. "Sorry about the mud. I cleaned up most of it, though. Found it beneath some bushes in the trail. If it was raining and dark, it would've been impossible to see it. That would give us some peace, at least. It's most probable she didn't know you were the one who followed her."

"Thanks, really," I said. "For everything. And if we consider that scenario, it means we have more time to plan."

"Hai. Oh and I checked your bag. Nothing seems to be missing. Even that hideous necklace of yours you like to wear so much is there." He made a face. "There's also a compass that doesn't work and vials with black-colored liquid inside. Oh, and a wallet."

I was honestly having a hard time remembering the stuff I put in my bag, but I told him that it seems to be complete.

He took out a phone from his pocket and tossed it to me. "Your phone was ringing off the hook, too. Over a hundred miscalls! I gave myself liberty to answer the call when I couldn't stand the blasted ringing anymore. It was from your butler, or you know, your executioner."

"The imp? What did he say?" I asked as I checked my messages.

"Nice name for a butcher," he said. He arched his brows and crossed his arms. "Well, when I picked up, he thought I was a kidnapper and threatened to flay me, hang me, quarter me and them offer my entrails to Lucifer then use my eyeballs and powdered bones in some potion."

"He's charming, that one," I said sarcastically. Seeing that there were no important messages received, I cast my phone aside.

"He's coming over to check up on you," he said. "We finished talking just before I came into the room, actually."

The doorbell rang.

"Nani? That was quite fast!" he said. "You think that might be your butcher?"

"Butler! Caretaker of sorts, actually," I corrected. I stood up and quite embarrassingly, wobbled to the door.

"Just go lie down." He ushered me back to bed. "I'll just let him in the room. I'll prepare something to eat, too, while you talk."

He went out of the room and I coughed and coughed. After several minutes, the imp came in. His hair, usually sleeked back neatly, was disheveled. He was wearing his usual butler formal clothes but it didn't look neat as it usually does. I called him the imp for obvious height reasons.

"Ojou-sama! I was so worried!" he ran to the bed and knelt beside it. "I couldn't sense your power last night! I was going to use the compass of Charon but I remembered that you had it with you… The feeling that I had last night sent chills to my spine. It felt as if you had vanished… I couldn't sense you at all… I thought you were dead!"

He was near tears as he clasped in hands as if in prayer. "I wasn't able to sleep and I kept on praying to Lucifer that you are safe and – "

"I lost my powers," I cut him off. I said this almost too matter-of-factly, almost without emotions.

He stood up. He just looked at me for several minutes. He must've been waiting for me to say I was joking, even if I wasn't the type to do such.

"Ojou-sama… Please, there must be some mistake…" He took out a clear flask. It was full of some red liquid inside. The potion looked familiar. I searched my brain for what type of potion this was, but I just drew a blank.

He threw the flask on the ground and it broke and the liquid spilled. The liquid turned colorless once it touched the surface of the bedroom floor.

"Quick, ojou-sama! Summon Lucifer!" He was frantic. "Quick before the tears of Persephone evaporate!"

"I don't… I don't know how… I can't remember…" I wanted to cry again.

"Don't cry now, ojou-sama," he urged. "The magic will weaken. Quick, now!"

"I really can't…" I was still holding back tears even if I knew there was no point in doing so.

The liquid on the floor hissed as it boiled and quickly disappeared.

"So it's true that you can't…" the imp said. He looks like he's having a hard time taking this in, too.

"This probably means I don't have magical blood anymore…" I said.

"The blood remains; Just the power has been drained, ojou-sama," he said. "How did this happen? It must've taken some powerful shield to remove the power of a direct descendant."

I gave him the summary of what happened. Then I asked him what I need to do to get it back.

"I need it ASAP! Kuroba needs my help!" I said. "That woman is after him! And she is dangerous! I couldn't sense if she was one of our kind, though… Maybe a magical object is protecting her."

He looked up at the ceiling as he searched his thoughts. He grunted and scratched his balding head. "I can think of a number of cursed objects which could've produced this effect, ojou-sama."

"I didn't even know that it's possible to lose my powers to begin with," I interjected.

"Several powerful poisons, cursed gems…" He grunted. "Some humans are also cursed themselves."

"What do you mean by that?" In my heart I know that I knew all this before he said it. I could've come up with the list and explanations myself, if it were not for losing my powers and any memory of performing my true magic.

"I forget that once you lose your powers, you also lose the memory of our knowledge," he said. "Let me explain it, ojou-sama… Some humans, even those without our blood, once they displease the Forces, they are cursed. These humans with what they call technology, sometimes they play with life too much. They try to lengthen life, they try to gain immortality. The Forces punishes them for their hubris."

I was trying to grasp what he was saying as much as I could.

"The curse the Forces impose on them is of great, ancient magic," he continued.

"What happens when these humans are cursed?" I asked.

"Can be anything – a life of suffering, a disability, change of fate," he supposed. "Maa, what matters is, if she really is a cursed human, maybe when you attacked her, your magic conflicted with her curse and it rebounded on you somehow."

I nodded to show that I understood.

"Or, it can simply be that the woman is in possession of one of the magical objects I was thinking of," he continued. "As you very well know, some of these humans discovered the existence of our race and went as far as to steal our objects. One of which is the – "

"The _Pandora_," I said. That cursed gem I did not forget. After all, it was the very thing Kuroba Kaito was trying to get.

"It used to belong to your family, ojou-sama," he said. "You are the rightful owner of the gem. Your ancestors hid it inside another gem to protect it, only visible under the moonlight."

"I know about that," I said.

"Of course you would. That boy you're trying to protect is after it." He said this with much dismay.

"So, in a nutshell, it's either that woman has one of these powerful objects or she's the cursed type." I massaged my temples. This was such a headache. "Maybe I have to meet this woman to find out. In any case, what do I do to get my powers back?"

"I heard there are several holy gems which produce a healing effect. I must research it in our library. Some of these gems, however, are hard to find, like the _Pandora_."

I sighed. "What if those objects don't exist anymore? Or we can never find them? Is there any other way?"

He pulled something out of his back pocket. He laid it on the bed beside Kaito's rose. It was a dagger decorated with tiny skulls and its handle looked like some animal's spine. The blade itself was black.

"Beelzebub's obsidian." He was hesitating to tell me something.

"What do I do with it?" I asked.

He faced away. "Ojou-sama, you won't like this…"

"Just spill it."

"You have to make an offering to Lucifer," he said as he looked me in the eye. "By killing a beloved one using that dagger."

O O O

_Depression_. When all is lost and no hope is to be found, you begin to despair. Maybe you didn't accept the bargain you struck up, when you were desperately searching to retrieve what you lost… Or maybe you're considering it…

There were three knocks on the door before Kaito barged in, carrying a tray.

"Room service! Microwavable baked macaroni, princess. Just the – oi where's your butcher?" He walked in and set the tray on the stool. On it was a plate of baked macaroni, a fork, a tall glass of what looked like orange juice, and cough tablets.

"Teleported. Not the way you do it, of course," I said as I reached for the plate. "He's back at the house to research some holy gems that has some healing powers. It might give me my powers back."

"Oh," was all he said.

I took several bites of the macaroni. "Gone grocery shopping?"

"Yeah, after I found your bag, I stopped by the supermarket. Used the money I found in your wallet, hope you don't mind." He stuck out his tongue.

I pointed the fork at him and gestured as if I was to stab him.

"You've known me for a long time and you're still not used to teasing?" he asked.

I rolled my eyes and continued eating. He saw the dagger and asked me what it was.

"Beelzebub's obsidian. The imp gave it to me for protection," I lied. Now why did I just do that?

"Creepy thing. Want me to hold on to it? Your delicate fingers shouldn't deal with barbaric weapons," he said.

"Iie. It's supposed to protect me. I prefer it beside me," I said between mouthfuls of macaroni.

"As you wish, princess," he said. "Oh I forgot to tell you… I stayed up last night, searching for bugs around the house. I found none. I'm very thorough with my searches, so rest assured. That might mean Kisa-san and her companions haven't made a move yet."

I was almost finished with the baked macaroni.

"I also set traps around the house to prevent trespassing," he added. "The only way to get in the house is through the front gate."

"I think I might stay here for a while," I said. "I guess it's safer with your traps and going home will just depress me. I mean, seeing all those magic stuff I can't use anymore…"

He cupped his chin with a hand. "I guess you can't help being away from me."

I arched a brow.

"Kidding again! Jeez… Anyway, this healing gem thing you have to use, where can we find it?" He looked interested. "What's the name of the gem?"

"The imp says there are several I can use but I don't know the names yet. He'll inform me as soon as he finishes with his research." I put the empty plate back on the tray and took the glass and medicine. I swallowed two tablets and washed it down with the juice.

"Our classmates might be going home soon," he suddenly said. I felt as if my heart has been pinched a bit. Just this small, itching pinch. He was surely thinking about _her_.

As if on cue, his phone rang. He looked at the caller on the screen and frowned. "Ahoko, I told you not to call me! I'm sick! I'm sick!"

I just gulped down the rest of the orange juice.

"What do you mean you met some lady by the school gate?" He paused. "And she was looking for me? Friend of my otou-san, a student from disguise school? She wants to see me?"

We both looked at each other. Did Kisa-san return to the school? He put her on speaker phone.

" – recognized me and Hakuba-kun from the magazine and asked if we were with you. I told her that you were sick and stayed home today," she said.

"What else did she say?" Kaito asked.

"She didn't," Aoko said. "Since Hakuba-kun and I are on our way to your house, she offered us a ride and told us it would be nice to meet you."

THAT IDIOT.

"You brought her along with you?" Kaito practically screamed. "And you're with Hakuba?"

I gasped. I had no idea why but my heart started racing again. Some part of me did not want Hakuba Saguru to see me in Kaito's clothes.

"He's suspecting that you and Akako are together," Aoko said. "He's beside me right now. Want to say hi?"

"OF COURSE NOT! Turn around, Aoko! I don't want that woman in my house! You don't understand! My life is in danger here!"

"What are you talking about, Kaito? You're acting weird again! It's too late because the nice – uhm, young lady drives fast and we're already outside your gate!"

"I won't open it! I'm sick, I told you! Do you want me to stand and walk all the way to the gate to let you in? Then entertain a guest? I'm in no condition! Just leave!"

"Too bad I have a spare key, ne?"

We heard the creaking of the gate from the phone.

"Chotto matte! I'm not dressed properly!" he said as he grabbed for my phone that was lying beside me. He started composing a message.

"We're going up your room." Sounds of front door opening. "You better be dressed when we get there."

"Matte! Matte! Stay there at the living room!"

"Kaito! We're going up!"

Kaito showed me the message he typed on my phone. It said "Stay here. Lock the door. Listen to our conversation via the ear piece."

"Matte!" he said to the phone.

"Ear piece?" I mouthed. He held up a finger and hurried to the dressing table. He opened a drawer and took out an earpiece. It looked like an earphone attached to this small box. Kind of like an old school music player. Then he showed me what looked like a pebble and inserted it in his pocket.

"You bugged yourself?" I mouthed. He read it right because he nodded and walked out the room. I locked the door as he left. I put on the ear piece as I went back to bed.

"Were you just about to enter your room?" Aoko's voice. They must've caught Kaito as he was just about to enter his room.

"I was about to leave to go down there! I told you to wait at the living room! My room's a mess!"

"But you're sick and you shouldn't force yourself to walk around! You don't look so sick… Were you just playing hooky?"

"I really am sick! I need to force myself out of bed cause you were so insistent, A-ho-ko! C'mon, let's just go to the living room…" Footsteps on the stairs.

"Sick or not, you never will learn manners will you?" Hakuba's voice. More footsteps sounds. "Arguing with a lady in front of a guest. Since introductions are in order, may I present to you – "

"I've seen you before," Kaito said. "You're Kudou Yukiko."

"Kaito-kun! You've grown up so much!" A lady's voice. I couldn't place her age. The footsteps sounds stopped. They must've reached the ground floor by now.

"Eh? You two already know each other?" Aoko asked.

"Toichi brought Kaito sometimes when he and I would have dinner meetings," the lady called Yukiko said. "How is Chikage-san? Is she here?"

"Haha's overseas. In Vegas, last time she called. I'll tell you said hi," Kaito replied.

"Oh please do. After your otou-san's death, I actually thought that you and Chikage-san went to live outside the country," Yukiko said.

"Haha wanted to keep a low profile. It's been hard for her… Maybe she didn't want to see chichi's old friends," Kaito explained.

"Oh, of course I understand," Yukiko said. "How about you? How are you, Kaito-kun? I remember you were such a little thing then, running around, causing trouble."

"I'm afraid that nothing has changed, Kudou-san," Hakuba said. "Kaito here still runs around and causes trouble."

"Oi oi watch it! You're under my roof!"

"Do you still do magic? I remember you gave me a rose last time we met," Yukiko said.

"Ah yeah, I still dabble a bit. Not that good, though," Kaito said.

"Not that good? You're a magic freak! That's all you think about! That's all you do!" Aoko said.

"Brings him into trouble, too," Hakuba chipped in. "By the way, I forgot to tell you a while ago to send my regards to your husband, Night Baroness. I'm a fan. I could tell he's from the Holmes school of deduction."

"Please, just call me Yukiko," the lady said. "And thank you so much."

It was really irking me that I couldn't see this guest. Kaito wasn't saying anything unusual. This was probably a different person. If this was another disguise by that Kisa-san, I could only rely on Kaito's verbal cues.

"I read that article in the magazine and it seems like you met Ran-chan and the others, as well," Yukiko said. "She was interviewed on the same day too, I believe."

"Oh yes! Ran, Sonoko, Heiji, Kazuha!" Aoko said. "We all stayed in the same suite after the interview!"

"That's nice… A pity you couldn't meet my son," Yukiko said. "Now that I look closely, he does resemble Kaito-kun…"

"You mean Kudou Shinichi?" Hakuba asked.

"I'm actually starting to get used to that uhm compliment," Kaito said.

"Do you really have no idea where he is?" Aoko asked.

"I'm sorry, I really don't know. The last time we – "

"I'm sorry for cutting the small talk," Kaito interjected. "But may I ask why you're here, Yukiko-san?"

"You mean in Japan? My husband and I are in the middle of a big arguement and it's a habit of mine to fly back here to Japan… To cool my head and such and such…" Yukiko said.

"What I actually meant was my house," Kaito said. "Why are you so interested in meeting me?"

"Oh, that!" she said. "I really just wanted to see how you and your okaa-san are doing! Look here, I have a digitized photo in my phone... It's me and my classmates in that disguise class Toichi taught."

There was a pause and several oohs and aaahs.

"You were so beautiful and young, Yukiko-san!" Aoko said. "Oh I mean, of course you're still so young and beautiful now!"

"How come you're all wearing a red kimono? Is this during practice?" asked Hakuba.

"That's taken during the technical rehearsal of _Crimson Goddess_," Yukiko answered. "That one between me and Toichi is Sharon Vineyard. She actually became one of my close friends and we still saw each other in New York after our training."

"The name sounds familiar. She's a Hollywood star, isn't she?" Hakuba asked.

"Was," Yukiko corrected. "She's gone to the other side now. Such a pity because she is so talented! But she was always so gloomy… She always accounts it to the fact that a lot of her family members died before her…"

"But she looks so happy in this photo!" Aoko said.

"She was always happy during classes," Yukiko said. "I think she had fun learning how to disguise and she and Toichi were also quite close."

"Sharon and I were actually Toichi's favorite students!" added Yukiko.

"Yukiko-san, do you mind if you mail the photo to me?" Kaito asked.

"Not at all! Matte, here… Can you just type your e-mail address there?" Yukiko said.

I heard the noisy sound produced when you type on a phone's keypad. Are all middle-aged ladies fond of noisy keypads?

"I'm planning to forward it to my haha, too," Kaito said. "Ah, there. Sent."

Kaito's phone alert message. "Let me just send this to my haha so she could also – "

"Oh can I have her contact details too? If she's in America, maybe we can get together or something?" Yukiko said.

"Ah, sure. Let me just type it in your phone," Kaito replied.

More keypad noise as Yukiko rambled about places she visited in America.

My phone vibrated. I checked my mail and realized it was me whom Kaito sent the picture to. I downloaded the image and studied the people in the old photo.

There were six people. All five girls were wearing red kimono and some had their faces painted, like a geisha's. In the front row were Kuroba Toichi, Kaito's otou-san whom I recognized from my crystal ball this one time I was uhm, well, stalking Kaito.

On Toichi's left was a woman with short, blonde hair and huge, circular, wire-rimmed glasses. She was holding up a peace sign and so was the girl who had her arm around her. The girl had long, brown hair that curled at the tips. Based from the conversation, the one beside Toichi is Sharon and the one beside Sharon is Yukiko.

"Oh you must visit sometime, all of you!" I heard Yukiko say as I adjusted the bug's listening piece. "My husband and I are usually in Los Angeles but we have a pad in New York, too."

"I've been to New York a couple of times myself," Hakuba said. "Just for vacation, for about a month."

"Kaito, let's go to New York too!" Aoko said.

"You can go there yourself!" Kaito said.

"You're so mean!" Aoko said.

"I'll take you if he doesn't want to," Hakuba said.

"I could care less," Kaito said before Hakuba started to describe to Aoko the sights he saw in New York.

"You kids are so full of energy!" Yukiko said.

"Oh right, Yukiko-san," Kaito said. Hakuba and Aoko were still talking in the background but Kaito's voice was much louder. "Do you know a classmate named Kisa?"

"What was her last name?"

"Izu, I think," he said. "Perhaps you know her or she's in your class?"

"Iie, I don't recall anyone with that name. The five people girls in the photo – that's everyone in our class," Yukiko said. "Maybe from another class? What does she look like?"

Of course, it would be useless telling Kaito what she looked like because the face he saw was a disguise. He can't accurately describe her, too, just basing from my description.

"Never mind… She also visited me yesterday to ask about my otou-san," Kaito just replied.

"Well your father was really popular with the female students," Yukiko said. "But don't worry, I know he was faithful to your okaa-san the whole time! Those two were so much in love!"

Somewhere in the background, Hakuba excused himself to go to the bathroom.

"Haha never stopped loving him," Kaito said. His voice sounded sad.

"Kaito don't cry…" Aoko said.

"Baka! I'm not going to cry! Oi let me go! You're suffocating me!" Kaito said. That idiot of a girl must've hugged Kaito.

"Well, since you two are getting cozy, I don't want to overstay my welcome," Yukiko said.

"HEY WE'RE NOT LIKE THAT!"

"SHE'S JUST CLINGY GIRL!"

"But I didn't mean anything like that," Yukiko said with a giggle. "Can you see me to the gate? I still have to go to Beika to see my son – I mean, the nephew of the grandfather of the cousin of the daughter of the brother of my uncle!"

"Sure, sure," Kaito said.

"Hey where's Hakuba? He's taking so long…" Aoko said somewhere in the background.

I heard footsteps as they were probably walking to the gate. There was another strange sound. Something _clank, clank, clank._ That couldn't be the gate.

The door opened.

I gasped.

Hakuba Saguru stood in the doorway, a bent paper clip in one hand.

"I knew you were here," he said with a smug look on his face.

I just gaped at him.

"Why? D'you honestly think only a thief can pick locks?"

O O O

_Acceptance_, they say, is the last stage of dealing with loss. You surrender and accept your fate. You give in to the loss.

It took what seemed like a decade to convince Hakuba and Aoko that nothing happened between Kaito and me. It's a good thing Yukiko-san already left. That Aoko is such an expert at making a scene!

Of course, we didn't tell them about Kisa and the whole KID bit. Our story was that I was abducted by kidnappers and I barely escaped. The nearest place I could go to was Kaito's and since I caught fever while running under the rain, he allowed me to stay overnight. I was sick the morning after so he agreed to also absent himself fromm class to take care of me.

Kaito was the one who came up with the story and I just stood there beside him, nodding and affirming all his details.

They bought the story, especially after I started crying.

"I was so scared and I didn't want to be alone." Hey, I can totally rock this crying thing. "And I thought that maybe the kidnappers know where I live so I'm also scared to go home."

Sniff, sniff. Snivel. Cough. Cough.

Hakuba offered his handkerchief. "I deduce you're planning to spend some more days here at Kaito's?"

"Oh you can stay at my house instead!" Aoko said. "At least we're both girls and I'll even tell my otou-san about those kidnappers!"

Meddling brat.

"I prefer it here at Kaito's and I already asked permission from my caretaker to stay here," I just said. Cough.

"In that case, I think it would be better if you have company," Hakuba suggested. "One man alone can't protect you. It will be my honor to offer my services and protection."

"I agree! Three is better than one!" Aoko chimed in. "Not to mention Kaito's not reliable when it comes to girls! I'm scared of what he might do to you!"

Scared? Or jealous? I wanted to ask so badly but I just managed to smile. Oh geez, what was I thinking about?

"I'll just go back home to get some clothes and ask permission from my otou-san. I could tell him we're doing a group project, since there's a lot of us, anyway," Aoko said.

"I need to go home and prepare an overnight bag, too," Hakuba said.

"Kaito, do you mind if you walk me home?" Aoko was looking down. "There's something… I need to talk to you about something…"

I looked at Kaito and saw him blushing.

"O-okay…" he said. He looked at me. "You think you can manage alone while we're away?"

I nodded. I whispered to him that while they're away, I could also ask the imp to bring over some of my clothes.

We exchanged goodbyes and as Kaito was about to close the door behind him, he called "Don't let strangers in! And don't eat their candies… Or something like that… Jaa! Itekimasu!"

"Itterashai," I said. I sighed and thought about how much of a hassle it will be with Hakuba and Aoko in the house. They could also be in danger if they get involved with Kisa and her secret group.

I collapsed on the couch and turned on the television. The evening news was on. I looked at the clock and was shocked to find that it's already past seven in the evening. I haven't left Kaito's house for a whole day…

The news was about some murder at a party of rich people. The case was solved by the Sleeping Kogorou. I noticed that the reporter was different. Stories about rich people were used to be reported by this Aya something. I liked her. Sometimes she'd throw in a sarcastic comment or two.

Cough. Cough. I changed the channel and the story about the murder was also on. Sleeping Kogorou was saying something about murderers being the scum of society when the doorbell rang.

Were they back? Maybe they just left something… I went outside to open the gate.

"You left something, didn't you?" I said as I opened the gate.

I had to stop myself from gasping. It wasn't Kaito, nor Aoko nor Hakuba. A lady in a red dress stood in front of me. It was Kisa.

"Oh it's Koizumi-kun!" she purred in her cat voice. She was still in her disguise!

"K-konbanwa," I said. I tried not to tremble.

"Is Kaito-kun home? His house is listed so I just decided to drop by. I heard he wasn't in school a while ago," she said.

I just stood there, trying very hard not to quiver. The fear was returning. This feeling that something will terribly go wrong, I can't shake it…

She smiled. That sweet smile that must've deceived so many. "Well, won't you accept me into the house?"

_Next: The Disguise Class of Kuroba Toichi _


	3. The Disguise Class of Kuroba Toichi

Disclaimer: The very cool and very funny Aoyama Gosho-sama owns Detective Conan and Magic Kaito. _Crimson Goddess_ mentioned in previous chapter was in reference to a play in the shoujo manga _Glass Mask_ by Miuchi Suzue.

Author's Notes: Has anyone seen the _Magic Kaito_ Akako episode? It was so cool! They combined the _Scarlet Temptress_ and _Would You Grow Up?_ chapters, with minor alterations, of course. That scene where the lights in the nearby buildings of the Tokyo Sky Tree lit up in bright red kind of reminded me of a scene from _Resurrection_, which I started writing almost five years ago. Kind of made me wish my fics were animated, too. LOL.

PS This chapter contains spoilers from the latest MK chapters, with exercising my liberties to assigning the natural hair color of Kuroba Chikage. I warned you so don't hate me.

PPS Some things mentioned here (where Toichi and Chikage talk about Kaito) are in reference to my other fan fic, _That Day At The Library_.

O O O

_Chapter 3: The Disguise Class of Kuroba Toichi_

Your memory record player, its vinyl, scratched. Screech, screech, screech in your head like a nightmare. SCREEEECH.

And it won't stop because it's happening, it's real, it's déjà vu. She's here. She's really here. It's her – the one responsible for the loss of my powers.

I stared at her blankly. My hand tightened on the handle on the gate. She had that smile on, but a twitch on her forehead told me she was getting impatient.

"Koizumi-kun, won't you accept me into your house?" she repeated.

Kaito and I don't have a plan yet!

"It's not my house. It's Kuro – Kaito's," I heard myself say. _We have to act the part_, I remember Kaito said.

She cocked her head to one side. "Of course I already know that. That's why I came here, didn't I?"

Damn it, I need to take a hold of myself.

"Kisa-san, isn't it? Kaito's not home yet. It's best if you – "

If I refuse her, will she find it suspicious? And maybe this is my opportunity to know if she has some magical object. I can't sense them now but maybe a few questions lead to some clues.

"Maybe it's best if you wait for him inside. He just stepped out," I said quickly.

"Sweet girl," she said as I led her in.

The evening news was still on when we came into the living room. We both sat on the couch and I asked her if she wanted to drink anything. She refused, saying she had a heavy afternoon snack.

"I actually brought Kaito-kun something." On her lap was a red leather purse that had metal chain straps. She undid the zipper and scoured through its contents before she took out a photograph, wrinkled at the sides.

She handed it to me. "Here, look."

I took the photograph. It was the same one as Yukiko-san had.

"You recognize Kaito's otou-san?" she asked.

I nodded.

"He was a very handsome man," she said. "Most of our classmates were in love with him but these two were his favorites." She pointed to the girls in the front row.

"This was taken during the dress rehearsal of _Crimson Goddess_," she continued.

"I can't see you in the picture, Kisa-san," I told her. Even if I knew how she really looked like, she still wasn't any of these people. She kind of resembled the Sharon one, but the woman under the moonlight in the forest was much younger.

"Was this your class?" I continued to ask.

"Oh, well, yes, of course," she said. "Why else would I have this picture?"

Bingo.

"My eyes may be failing me but you don't look like anyone in this photo, probably even without the make-up of those geishas at the back row, you still don't look like any of them," I said. I brought the photo closer to my face to prove that I was really trying hard to spot her.

Kisa-san laughed. "That's because I was the one taking the picture!"

Another bull's eye.

"Oh, is that so?" I asked. Wait 'til Kaito hears about this.

Coincidentally, the news anchor on the television started to report about KID.

"Earlier this week, the infamous thief KID has sent another notice to steal the _Purple Majesty_ on Friday, exactly 9pm at the newly-opened Touto's Museum for Modern Arts," the reporter said.

The reporter blabbed on about the history of the gem when Kisa-san turned to me and smiled her twisted smile. "Interesting fellow… This KID character, what do you think of him?"

She's testing me.

"He really is quite troublesome, to be honest." I handed her back the photograph. "Since he sent that notice on Monday, he's been all over the news – Monday night news, Tuesday morning news and so on. It's getting tiring."

"But your boyfriend Kaito's a magician, too, so I thought you might be interested in KID and his magic." She was still holding on to the photograph and was looking at it. She was obviously lost in her own little world.

"Granted, their magic is amusing but I'm more interested at a different kind of magic," I said. I couldn't help returning a smile as sinister as hers. She stared at me with a confused expression.

"Kisa-san, do you believe in black magic? In sorcery?" I asked her.

She scoffed as she stuffed the photo back in the bag. "Whatever has gotten into you, sweet child? You know that – "

Something inside her bag vibrated. She took out her phone, the same one I saw her use in the forest. The screen was bright and she seemed to have received a message. She looked at me and held up a finger.

"One second," she mouthed and I nodded.

She read her message in peace, frowned for a split-second and composed a reply with her noisy keypad. After hitting what I presume is the send button, she sighed.

"Gomen, Koizumi-kun, something came up and I must leave immediately," she said as she stood up. "I'll be back tomorrow or some other day to show this photo to Kaito-kun. There's so much I want to talk to him about."

I was about to stand when I said "Do you want me to see you to the gate?"

She shook her head. "I'll be fine on my own." She walked to the front door but before she left, she turned to me and said, "As for your question, now that I think about it, I have to say that yes… I do believe in dark magic, as dark as it can get."

O O O

I was still jacked up with adrenaline after Kisa-san left. I also realized that my cough was completely gone, like hiccups when you're suddenly overtaken with fear. I was contemplating whether my cough was psychosomatic when the doorbell rang.

I was relieved to see it was Hakuba Saguru, carrying a traveling trunk with both hands.

"You're staying for a night, not moving in," I told him.

"Better be prepared if our stay gets extended," he said as we went in the house. "Are they back?"

"Do you hear pointless arguing?" I asked.

He sniggered. "Iie. I get your point." He parked his trunk in the living room and I turned off the television this time.

We were silent and it was getting kind of awkward. I grabbed my phone, which was in my short's pocket the whole time and sent a message to the imp to bring some clothes.

He replied a second later to say that he already completed the task, and I can find several changes of clothes to last me three days. I thought about getting a hot bath while waiting for Kaito and Aoko. I was about to leave when Hakuba spoke.

"There's something different about you," he finally broke the silence.

"My deduction may be off," he continued. "But you seem more vulnerable, more emotional… Or maybe I was just shocked to see you cry a while ago. I've probably seen almost all our girl classmates cry, except for you. To tell you the truth, you're the last person I would expect to cry, and that includes Kuroba Kaito."

I grinned. "I consider that a compliment, detective."

"It is," he nodded. "What I'm trying to say is that you're the kind of girl who can depend solely on herself, even in time of great needs."

"Now you're just flirting," I said as I narrowed my eyes at him.

He shrugged. "I'm an honest man. And compliments are for free. Why be a scrooge about them?"

I can't read this guy. Even when I had my powers, I can't. Now more than ever, now that I don't have my powers anymore, he's a bigger mystery… Maybe I should stop reading people…

"Hakuba, do you believe in magic?" I suddenly asked him.

"Magic tricks?" he asked.

"Iie… I meant black magic, sorcery, witchcraft, that sort…"

He was caught off guard by that question, all right.

"As a detective, my allegiance is with the empirical world, science, technology, logic and reason," he said. "However, it would be completely hypocritical of me to say that we humans have already understood everything there is to this world."

I frowned. "You didn't answer the question…"

"Yes, I did."

"It was a yes-or-no question and you skirted around it," I said. These detectives. Sheesh.

"Well sometimes a yes-or-no question deserves a non-yes-or-no response," he said. "Holmes used to say that if you remove the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth. If we're going to analyze what he said, he didn't exactly define what was 'impossible', but 'truth'. So what if the 'truth' is something we thought was impossible, just because we don't understand it?"

"Isn't that why your kind has science, to determine what is impossible or not?" I asked. Just playing the devil's advocate here.

"But that's why I said it hasn't answered all of life's mysteries yet," he said. "It's gone a long way, though. Forensics, especially. If DNA testing was present during the time of Jack the Ripper, then Scotland Yard would've definitely caught him. Speaking of, I should ring those blokes one of these days…"

I was getting impatient. "So what is it? Do you believe in sorcery or no?"

"It's Kaito, isn't it?" he replied.

"Another incorrect response," I said. Tut, tut, tut.

He merely smiled. "A while ago, I said you looked vulnerable, and I think I already know why. It's because of Kaito…"

"Stop changing the subject!"

"You're the one who changed it in the first place," he said. "You let your walls tumble down, huh? Finally admitted to yourself that you liked him all this time? And I know for a fact that the two of you are hiding something…"

Does he have proof that Kaito is KID? Does he know about Kisa-san? Or is this about something else?

Before I could respond, the door opened.

"Tadaima!" called in a familiar voice. Kaito was holding two large bags which smelled of food. Aoko was behind him, clutching a huge shoulder bag. She was red in the face and she averted her eyes when I looked at her.

"We brought take-out from the Chinese restaurant down the street!" Kaito said. He was cheerful but there's something amiss.

Hakuba stood up. "I brought my stuff. May I ask where I can put them?"

"Guest room. Upstairs, first door on your left," Kaito replied. "Akako, bring him there. I'll just put these at the table."

I nodded and led them upstairs.

"Oh, you and Aoko need to share haha's room!" Kaito called after as we ascended the stairs.

As we got second floor, Hakuba excused himself to park his things in the guest room. Aoko and I stood in front of Kaito's okaa-san's room.

"Eh?"

Aoko looked at me. "What is it?"

I pointed to the door to the right of _Phantom Lady_'s room. "That door wasn't there last night…"

"What are you talking about? That's Kaito's room!" she said.

"I remember well there were just two doors in this floor. Oh well, maybe I just didn't notice t because it was dark," I said.

We entered the _Phantom Lady_'s room. Several layers of clothes were neatly stacked on the bed, along with a note from the imp. Aoko blabbed about how kawaii the dressing table was and was checking its drawer's contents when I took the note and hid it under the bed, along with the obsidian dagger.

I took a pair of underwear and a sleeveless, white night dress from the stack of clothes then told Aoko I would take a bath before joining them for dinner.

"Sugoii! Is that what you usually wear to bed, Akako?" she asked. I wanted to tell her it was none of her business since she can't possibly know what a night dress is. But I sensed there was something troubling her, so I decided to be nice.

"Yes, it's a night dress," I said with a smile.

"Can I touch it?" she asked and went ahead and did, anyway.

"It's lace," she said.

"Velvet, actually," I corrected her.

"It must be so nice to have these things. I still use pajamas when I go to sleep. With kiddie prints," she said. She sighed. "I wish I could be mature like you, Akako."

"I wrote down that spell on your arm, didn't I?" I said. Truth is, that was just a prank.

"Yeah but Kaito erased it and said it was silly… Even if he teases me all the time that I have a flat chest and still acts like a kid…" she said.

I gave out a long exhale and sat on the bed. I tapped that part beside me to tell her to sit. She understood.

"What happened between you and Kuroba, anyway? You were all red in the face when you first came in," I said. Here I am again, playing the good friend.

"Akako-chan, please don't take this personally against you," she said. I noticed that she clenched the fists on her lap. "I know you explained that nothing really happened but… I just can't… What I mean to say is that you're a liberated woman type and Kaito is – well, he's Kaito… And you two spending the night here, I just can't help thinking that maybe… That maybe you two…"

Something within me has snapped. "And what if something did happen?"

"Oh…" Her eyes remained fixated on her lap and the clenched fists have loosened a bit. "I just wanted to know, because Kaito – "

"He's single, and so am I," I cut her. "And we're at that age where we're curious about these things."

I noticed that the way I said those last few phrases had a certain sharpness to it. Kind of harsh, actually. I looked at her again and she was still staring at her lap. Oh geez, was she going to cry?

"Look," I said. "I know you and Kuroba are close and you grew up together. Childhood friends can sometimes be quite protective, especially when they see – "

"Ah, yes, I'm protective, that's all," she said. She feigned a smile. "That's it, isn't it? I'm just worried about him, like an older sister."

I don't know if the girl is thick or she really did just bought that bull I told her. But of course I knew she was in love with him. And she knows it, too.

"You could say that, yeah… Like an older sister…" I affirmed. "Just out of curiosity, before you left to get your clothes, you said you needed to talk to Kaito. You asked him the same thing, didn't you?"

She nodded. "I just wanted to ask again to make sure… I was thinking maybe you two lied because Hakuba-kun was also there and you were shy to admit it, but if I talked to him alone, maybe he'd confess…"

"Again, just out of curiosity, what did he say?"

She stared at me with eyes telling me I was supposed to already know the answer. "Well, what did you expect? The same answer you gave, of course."

O O O

The hot bath was exquisite. Kaito's okaa-san's personal bathroom was located behind a false wall in her room, just beside the walk-in closet. Even the walk-in closet was deceiving. Its door was not wider than a meter, but the inside was like a workshop of sorts. Halloween costumes, and all the props Kaito hid were there.

After the bath, I slid into my night dress and proceeded to the dining room, where the three were already eating sweet and sour pork, dumplings, sautéed vegetables and some other dishes from the Chinese restaurant. I sat beside Hakuba who was arguing with Kaito whether KID will succeed in taking _Purple Majesty_. Aoko was eating her dumplings in silence.

Halfway through my bowl of fried rice, Hakuba complimented my night dress. "Worn like a true lady," he said. Kaito said that white suits me. I smirked and told him that I think white suits him, too. I caught Hakuba staring at me and I just raised a brow at him. He shook his head and change d the subject to the history of Purple Majesty.

"Quite remarkable that the gem was found after all these years," he said. "It was said that for the hundred years it was missing, it has been in possession of a strange cult who performed human sacrifice rituals with it."

"Didn't you already tell that story after class the other day?" Kaito asked.

"Not everything, and you might be interested in this… Of course, these reports were based from the journal of the American geologist who retrieved the gem from the cult and kept it until he died. It was only when he died when his relatives found out about the existence of the gem. It was hidden in the false bottom of that safety deposit box. The journal was also found with the gem and – "

"You were saying about the cult?" I asked.

"Oh, yes, well, according to the journal of this geologist who got lost in the jungles of Eastern Europe, he encountered the cult who treated the gem as their leader, because they believed that the soul of the prince who originally owned the amethyst lived in that jewel."

"The very same blood-thirsty prince who ate the heart of his captives and slaves," he continued. "They said that when they look under the stone using the moonlight, they could even see the face of the prince inside the gem…"

Aoko was listening now and she looked like she wanted to vomit her last, several spoonfulls.

"Eat the hearts of his slaves?" she asked.

Hakuba nodded. "He was known to be a very morbid prince, who was even rumored to have descended from witches and sorcerers. He wanted to be immortal so when he was dying, it was said he trapped his soul inside the gem."

"But that's not true, isn't it? No one can really live forever…" Akako said.

Hakuba shrugged. "According to the journal, the geologist saw the face of the prince, crying, when the cult leaders raised the gem under a passing comet."

Kaito and I looked at each other.

"What did the cult call the amethyst?" Kaito asked. "Or has it always been called _Purple Majesty_?"

Hakuba smiled. "Suddenly interested in the gem?"

"Just answer the question!"

"My, my, that patience of yours won't really get you anywhere… Maa, the journal didn't mention any other names other than _Undying_."

"_Undying_ means immortal, ne?" I said.

Hakuba nodded. "The undying is pertaining to the soul of the wicked prince inside the gem, but when the geologist stole it from the cult, that's when he started calling it the _Purple Majesty_, also in reference to the prince."

"Why did he steal the gem?" Aoko asked.

"Well, the cult believed it had magical powers. They would kill their sacrifices and pour the blood over the gem 'to make it stronger' and whenever their cult elders perform magic, they have to do it while wearing or carrying the gem. Maybe as an offering to the prince inside the gem, don't you think?"

"So he stole it, thinking he can perform magic?" I asked. I have to remember to ask the imp about this gem.

"He didn't explicitly say in the journal, but when he escaped with the gem, he was suddenly found by the rescue team deployed to find him weeks earlier. When he returned to America, he also quit being a geologist and dabbled in business instead. All his business prospered and he died a wealthy man," Hakuba said.

"'Wish I could find a gem like that and die happy and rich," Kaito quipped.

"Why don't you just take the _Purple Majesty_ on Friday, then?" Hakuba said. "Beat KID to it… If you can, that is…"

"Are you going to start again with your ridiculous theory that I'm KID?" Kaito asked.

"It's not a ridiculous theory! I just don't have proof yet…" Hakuba said. "I just haven't caught you yet…"

O O O

The rest of the night was uneventful save for Kaito's freaking out when he realized that the one of the dishes he ordered was actually made of fish. We retreated into our rooms past nine and I told them that I would probably take another day off school, just to make sure my fever was completely gone. They agreed, on the condition that I be left alone.

"You can call your caretaker to go here and look after you," Aoko suggested. She even declared that leaving me with Kaito would be an unplanned pregnancy in the making.

Before we went up, I whispered to Kaito that I had to talk to him. He said I should wait until Aoko and Hakuba fall asleep.

"Don't worry, I put something in their food so they should be asleep soon," he said with a wink.

True enough, when I entered our room, Aoko was already passed out on the bed. She hasn't even finished buttoning the front of her ice cream-printed pajamas. I shook my head and did it for her, cursing every once in a while that the girl needs to grow up one of these days.

I stopped by Hakuba's room after to make sure he, too, was asleep. The boy was also on the bed with a book over his face. I looked under the book just to make sure it wasn't an act, only to find the detective's peaceful, sleeping face. I ruffled his hair just to know the feel of his blonde waves. His hair felt so soft and his face, so serene…

He turned to his side and muttered, "Watson, that tickles…" and I covered my mouth with both my hands to stifle a laugh.

I left him there, still muttering to Watson (his pet maybe?) and I went straight to Kaito's room.

He was hunched over his table, tinkering with something metallic under the lamp.

"Lock the door," he said without turning around.

"They're asleep," I said as I followed his command. "Why don't you open the lights?"

"Surveillance, remember?" he said.

I walked to him and sat on his bed. Just across the bed was a life-size portrait of his otou-san.

"About that, Kisa-san dropped by this evening, just when the three of you left," I started.

He dropped the gun he was holding. "NANI? What did she want? What did she do? What did you tell her?"

I got his full attention now, I see.

"She left right away because someone sent her a message," I said.

"What if she already bugged the place?" he asked.

I told him that I wasn't stupid so I checked for bugs right after she left. He said I can never be too sure, so he went downstairs for several minutes.

When he returned, he told me that the place wasn't bugged and he even checked the gate.

"Better be on the safe side and always close the curtains," he said.

"She said she'll be back tomorrow or the day after next," I said. "Probably to observe you and get proof you're KID."

"Who is she kidding? She won't be back the day after next." He sat down and tinkered with his gun again.

"Oh yeah, KID's heist is on Friday," I said. "If she's really interested in KID, she'd be at the museum."

He put down the gun. "I don't get why she and her group wants KID. What does she want with him?"

"Remember what I told you the other day? About Lucifer's prediction on your heist? There was something about crows…"

"You mentioned something like that, yeah," he said.

"What if her group is the crows? Aren't crows a symbol of death? What if they're an assassin group? Maybe they want somebody like KID who knows concealment and escape skills to do their dirty work for them," I thought aloud. "Or teach them, at least."

Kaito banged a fist on the table. "That's exactly what happened to chichi – I mean, if I was KID, then – "

"Kuroba, you can stop pretending…" I reached for his hand. "It's just me…"

He put the other hand over his face. "I'm just so tired, so very tired…"

He climbed onto the middle part of the bed and sat with his legs crossed. I followed him and sat across, the tip of our toes almost touching one another. He closed his eyes and leaned against the bed's headboard. I noticed there were dark circles under his eyes.

"I forgot, you weren't able to sleep last night," I said. "I feel it's my fault… Gomen…"

"I was able to catch a few hours," he said without opening his eyes. "It's not that. It's everything… Sometimes I think I can't handle it anymore, and I'm still so young…"

Now what do you say at a time like this? I'm not the girl with the right words.

"You know, last night, when we were on okaa-san's bed, before you passed out, I was thinking, what if you were really my girlfriend and we were just an ordinary high school couple?" he said. His eyes were still closed.

"Ordinary…" I scoffed. "Ordinary doesn't suit you, Kuroba."

He finally opened his eyes and yawned. "I know. It's just, maybe it would be nice – oh, gomen, I forget you just lost your powers."

I waved a hand. "That's why I said I think ordinary won't suit you. You'll bore of it quickly."

"I'll never know unless I try, ne?" He closed his eyes and collapsed forward. He fell on my chest, his forehead leaning on one side of my shoulder.

"Kuroba, if you're just teasing again, I'll – "

"I'm so tired," he mumbled.

I let him rest on my shoulder for a while and I heard some heavy breathing after a while. He was already asleep.

I laid him properly down the bed, nice and easy. I pulled the covers over. That's when I remembered that I have to tell him about the photograph. Well, maybe tomorrow… As for now, he needs his sleep.

As I approached the door to leave his room, I noticed it was slightly open. Did Kaito forget to close the door? I couldn't remember. I shrugged it off, thinking I had enough paranoia in one day. Then I went back to his okaa-san's room.

I sat on the bed and took out the note from under the pillow. In it was a list of the holy gems which could cure me. As expected, the _Pandora_ was there. So was a ruby called _Red Tear_, an opal named _Serenity_ and a topaz, _Earth Maiden_.

At the bottom of the list was the _Undying_ and note, scribbled in almost illegible handwriting, "May have repeated entries; some of the gems may be aliases of the other. Hard to trace."

And a postscript, "Or, you know, you can always just use the dagger."

I took out the obsidian from under the bed, stared at the black blade, and saw my own reflection staring back.

O O O

Screech, screech, screech, says your memory record player. Is there such thing as imagined memories?

As soon as I closed my eyes, I was visited by a nightmare – no, it was barely a nightmare. It was the haunting memory of that time in the forest – my power draining, the chill, the unnerving lightness, the certain emptiness. The scene kept repeating like a broken record player.

Screech, screech, screech, my memory vinyl went. It's scratching but it's not stopping. Such memories know no wear and tear. The feeling, especially. The draining, the chill, the emptiness. They say emotions have memories.

I woke up with Aoko's hand on my forehead. "You're burning up," she said.

Kaito and Hakuba were standing by the door. Both were already dressed for school.

"Maybe I should stay with you?" Aoko said. She, too, was dressed, but wasn't showing any intention of leaving the bed.

"Don't be silly," I told her. "There may be a quiz in Algebra today. I know you wouldn't dare miss that."

She looked at me, unconvinced, but she sighed and said "Maa, have it your way."

Kaito crossed his arms. "You can just call your butcher – I mean, butler, then have him fix you breakfast and lunch. And there's still some leftovers in the refrigerator."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Hakuba asked. "You mentioned that the reason you're staying here is because those kidnappers may be staking out your mansion. If your caretaker leaves your house and goes here, they might follow him and lead him to you."

"Oh," I said. Busted. "My caretaker is really careful. He was the one who brought my clothes over yesterday. If they really followed him here, wouldn't the kidnappers already barge in?"

Of course I can't tell them he just teleports.

Hakuba frowned. "You're stubborn, you know that? But a gentleman never forces a lady, so I'll trust in your judgment."

"Matte! Before we leave, can I speak privately to Akako? Just some house rules, that stuff…" Kaito said. "You two can wait for me outside the gate."

Hakuba and Aoko agreed and they went out the room. Hakuba closed the door behind him but before he did, he said "Just shout for help if he tries anything, ne?"

"I'm just going to talk to her! Now shoo!" Kaito said.

Now, we were finally left alone. Kaito opened the door once again to make sure they were not just standing outside, listening.

"Now what is it you really want to talk about?" I asked.

"I was saying the truth when I said I was going to impose some house rules," he said. "But I can feel that you also need to tell me something, so ladies first."

"Oh, that," I said. "Well before you fell asleep last night, I forgot to tell you that Kisa-san showed me the same picture that Yukiko-san had. She also said that she was part of that class."

"Since you saw how she really looked like, did she look like anyone in that class? We can ask Yukiko-san about it," Kaito said. I was about to open my mouth but it seemed he read my mind. "And don't worry, Yukiko-san is really who she said she is 'cause we have – ano, common acquaintances and I got her checked."

"That's a relief but didn't Yukiko-san already say that all her classmates were in that photograph? Here's another thing – Kisa-san said she was the one who took the photograph. What if she really was part of the class but Yukiko-san just forgot about her because she wasn't in the photo?"

Kaito crossed his arms again. "That can't be. It's 'cause haha took that picture."

I just stared at him.

"I sent her that photo as well and she replied by saying she remembered that day and that she was the one who took that photo!" Kaito said.

"About this lady, I think she knows too many details which matches Yukiko-san's story – she knows about the dress rehearsal, the favorite students – and maybe she really was a student of your otou-san," I said. "If not from that class, then maybe from some other class… Did your otou-san keep records or – "

His phone rang. "Chotto," he told me. He clicked on the answer button and greeted the caller.

"Iie, Jii-chan, I think it's best if you don't come here anymore. This phone call would suffice as a goodbye." Pause. "Don't be hard-headed! I don't want to get you into trouble! I said I can handle it! And I've… I've sort of got someone else helping me, too." A longer pause. "Just enjoy Hawaii, ne? I'll call you when the situation is over. You've done enough, Jii-chan. I really can't risk you –" Another pause. "Maa, thank you for the preparations. I trust you, as always. I'm sure everything will go as planned tomorrow." Pause. "Stop crying and board that plane! Your obo-chama commands it!" Pause. "You know that chichi can't forgive me, too, if I get you into trouble." Pause. His voice was softer now. "I'll still see you, Jii. Send me back some pineapples or coconuts when you reach Hawaii. Ok, ok. Jaa!"

He hung up. "Where were we? You were asking if my chichi kept records?"

"That was your assistant, wasn't it?" I asked out of curiosity. "I remember I used to see him in my crystal ball. He always helped you in your heists. You asked him to leave the country, ne? To put him away from harm and away from the group that's after you now."

"If I was KID, then I'd really do something like that, ne?"

I rolled my eyes. Here I was thinking that last night, he finally let me in. "Anyway, about those records, I was thinking I might find some clues if I look through your otou-san's stuff."

He shook his head. "No can do, princess. All my chichi's stuff are hidden somewhere you're not supposed to know, which takes me to the house rule I wanted to talk to you about."

"And that is?"

"No searching the house while I'm away."

I raised a brow. "Kuroba, I already know who you are. It's pointless if you impose this now."

"God knows what you can find in this house."

"I'm not interested in your porn stash, if that's what you mean."

"It's not that!"

I frowned. "Then how am I supposed to investigate about this woman? The clues I might find may be necessary to unlocking who she is and who she works for." And I'm also interested if she may have that magical object.

"Well, if okaa-san took the picture, then she may have some more stuff about the class in her room. Knowing you, I'd guess you already found the walk-in closet. I don't really suggest rummaging through all her stuff, but I think it's pretty safe if you limit your search within that closet."

"Just as long as I stay out of yours, is that it?"

"You got it." He started to walk to the door. "That's about it. Now I mustn't keep those two waiting. Aoko may start naming our phantom babies, for all we know."

I blushed. "Chotto matte, Kuroba. One more thing."

"What is it, princess?"

"The imp told me that _Undying_ may be one of the holy gems that could bring back my powers," I said. "When you steal it tomorrow night, is it okay if you don't give it back so you could just give it to me?"

He faced away and hung his head. "If I was KID and the _Purple Majesty_ isn't what I'm searching for, then I have to return it. I respectfully and regrettably decline, princess… Taking and not returning isn't really KID's style."

I could hear my heart breaking. Is he serious?

"But after I return it, maybe you can take the gem…" he said.

"Take it for myself? You mean to say that I could steal the gem?" I asked. "I don't have my powers anymore! How do you propose I do that?"

He shrugged. "Some of my haha's stuff might interest you…"

O O O

Kuroba Chikage must be one eccentric lady.

Inside her closet weren't just the horror props and costumes, there was also a pull-down staircase leading to the attic.

I climbed up, treading each step with caution. As I reached the landing, I fumbled in the dark for the light switch.

Cursing and wishing that I can just use some spell to light the room, I felt a plastic, disembodied hand bumping against my forehead. It seemed to have been hanging from the ceiling and I tugged on it out of instinct. A moment later, the whole room came into view.

One lovely lady, this Kuroba Chikage. One side of the room was filled with crates, labeled with what I recognized as names of artifacts stolen by the _Phantom Lady_ herself. They're probably filled with the retrieved replicas illegally bought by some rich collector, or some mafia boss in need of room décor. Looks like Ryoma's treasures wouldn't be KID's only "returning" deed.

The other side of the room had a shelf and a wardrobe, both the same height. The shelf was filled with books, photo albums and boxes of different sizes. The wardrobe was filled with black dresses and costumes I recognized from _Phantom_ _Lady_'s heists. Beside the shelf was a full body mirror. There more props, strewn about the foot of the wardrobe.

One of these props were blow up dolls, designed to look like there were operated on by some mad doctor. More dolls were stacked on top of one another, in the corner of the room. I stepped forward to get a closer look. Some dolls were cut from neck to belly button, revealing the internal organs inside. Another was missing its jaw. Another one was flayed from chest down.

It was normal for me to see animal carcass and decapitated body parts and hanging entrails so I didn't cringe one bit. Anyone else who didn't know that Chikage Kuroba was _Phantom Lady_ might think she was a serial killer, and fancied keeping her corpses in the attic.

I walked over to the shelf and tried to look for a record of sorts, or anything pertaining to the classes Kuroba Toichi once held. I opened a shoebox and saw cassette tapes labeled with "Episode 1", "Episode 2", and so on. There were ten cassette tapes in the box. There were also some receipts from fancy restaurants, and a golden locket.

The locket caught my interest first so I opened it and saw a picture of a baby Kaito. Plump cheeks and messy hair, yes that's him. He was so cute but I'm not just about to start cooing.

The receipts were nothing special nor suspicious. I grabbed for the cassette tapes next. Conveniently enough, there was a cassette player on the shelf. I was about to worry about the batteries when I tried to press some buttons and it worked. There was already a tape inside and I couldn't understand it because it kept skipping. A man's voice. I took it out and put in the one marked as "Episode 1".

Drum rolls.

"Welcome!" A woman's voice. She sounded in her mid or late twenties, but very energetic. "You are listening to the drama tape of Kuroba Toichi! This is the first episode of _Toichi's World_ starring the genius magician Kuroba Toichi himself! For our first episode, I will interview the famous prodigy who – "

"_Love_, what are you doing?" A man's voice. Similar to the one in the skipping tape.

"Honey, I told you that I bought this recorder so I can make a drama tape about you and then we could sell it!"

"I thought that was a joke! And my life's no anime or light novel. People would just get bored listening to this."

"Iie! Everyone in the world loves the genius magician Kuroba Toichi! You're like a celebrity! And do you know how much money we can get from the sales? With your fan base, these drama tapes would be a sure hit!"

"You just want to make money out of this don't you?"

"Hmph. Well those fan girls of yours follow you everywhere and they send all sorts of letters to the house. Might as well make money out of them."

"Is my lovely and beautiful wife jealous?"

"Just… A little bit… Those – oi we're still recording! Anyway, dear listeners, I'm sorry for that, now, I get to interview Kuroba Toichi! "

"Here? Now? In our bedroom?"

"Where else can they find Kuroba Toichi in his most comfortable self? Okay, the first question, what is your type of girl?"

"Let me see – red hair, slender body, cute, amazing gymnast, fast with her hands, horror fan…"

Kuroba Toichi might as well be describing me. Funny how KID sr. had a thing for red heads.

"But you're just describing me!" Chikage said.

"You're the only gem in my jewelry box, I told you that," Toichi replied.

"Aaawww honey! But this won't sell! You'll make your fan girls more jealous!"

"They want to know Kuroba Toichi, well they might as well know that he's devoted to his wife."

"Stop it! You're making me blush! I can't hold the recorder properly!"

"Maybe it would be better if those delicate and skillful hands were holding something else…"

Now, _this_ made me cringe and I hurriedly pushed the fast forward button.

" – and it was so bright and shiny from our balcony," Chikage said. "Do you remember Paris?"

"I will never forget Paris."

"We should bring Kaito one day. Maybe on summer. Speaking of Kaito, you have to stop being so hard on him. He's just seven, you know."

"If he wants to learn to become a magician, there is no easy way. I'll teach him as I learned it."

"But he's covered in bruises and cuts all over!"

"That's part of learning. I never promised him it would be easy. Where is he, anyway?"

"Aren't you supposed to be with him? It's Saturday, after all. You have your training..."

"I told him we couldn't meet because I have that _thing_, remember?"

"Eh? Oh! Oh yeah… Isn't it time?"

"I'll go in five. Where is Kaito?"

"I think in the library..."

"That's good. He's been locking himself in the house all week, practicing. Hmm, maybe I am being too hard on him…"

"You are, you are! Oh and honey, send Jii after him. Maybe he'll cause some commotion at the library. He had that face as he was leaving the house."

"What face?"

A giggle. "Similar to yours when you want to raise hell."

"So I've been a bad influence on him?"

Still giggling. "As they say, like father, like son. I hope Kaito makes some new friends. With your training, he's going to end up a loner."

"With a personality such as Kaito's, it won't be hard to make friends. "

"But in a library? Do children these days even go there?"

"A son of my student reads a lot. I think some children still value reading."

"But Kaito surely didn't go there to read… Send Jii now. I don't want to pay for damaged property."

"Let the boy have some fun. You said it yourself that I'm being too hard on him. Oh – it's almost time. I better get going. I'll send Jii to pick up Kaito and bring him near the clock tower when I'm done with – oh you know… Then treat him for ice cream for missing today's class…"

"Gambatte! Go for it, honey!"

Footsteps. Creaking, swinging doors. More footsteps. A rustle of what seemed to be bed sheets. More footsteps.

"Oh shoot, is this thing still on? Is this recording? How do I – where's the stop button? Damn it. Where's – ah here it – "

End of tape. The other side of the tape was blank.

My curiosity got the better of me and I put on the second tape.

Kuroba Chikage's voice boomed out of the outdated playing machine. "Hey yo everyone! We're back! This is episode 2 of _Toichi's World_! Today, we get to learn a trick from Kuroba Toichi! We're in his studio right now, where he's teaching his students how to make fake blood. Most of his students are television or stage producers and actresses so this is a skill they have to learn very well. Fake blood is often used as a prop in dying scenes and they have to make it look believable!"

Kuroba Toichi's voice was echoing in the background.

"Can you hear him? Since he forbade me to go interrupt him during classes, I'm just going to repeat everything he says," Chikage said.

Chikage then enumerated the steps on making fake blood using household ingredients like corn syrup and some red dye. She also went into detail about blood patterns. For example, if a person is cut in a certain way in this part of the body, the blood splatters have to look like this and this.

Unlike the first cassette tape, this one has content on the B side, which is just a continuation of Toichi and Chikage's expertise on blood splatter.

The third cassette tape was about Kuroba Toichi as a teacher of magic and disguise. His students were interviewed by Chikage, the first of which was Kaito himself.

"My super kawaii son Kaito will now tell us how his otou-san teaches him magic! Take it away, Kaito!"

Sounds of fumbling with the recorder.

"Good morning everyone!" said a young Kaito, his voice more coarse but still carries that undeniable energy. " I'm Kuroba Kaito from Ekoda Elementary School! I'm seven years old and I'm an apprentice stage magician! (Chikage in the background: Kaito, you can't say "good morning" 'cause this is a drama tape and the people might listen to this at night) I should do it again? Ok! Hello everyone! I'm Kuroba Kaito from Ekoda Elementary School! I'm seven years old and I'm an apprentice stage magician! As a teacher, my chichi is very strict. We usually train every Saturday except when he has extra work or he is out of the country. I have to study in a normal school too but I wish I could go everywhere with my chichi because every time I watch his shows, I learn too. This is also because he tells me that I can learn by observing at first."

"How does he usually teach you? Does he tell you the step by step way of doing the trick?"

"Iie. He usually shows me the trick several times and he allows me to discover the trick on my own, then I have to try and do it for myself. If I'm having trouble, that's when he'll help me."

"Have you ever beaten him in a showdown?"

"Never! My chichi is the best magician in the whoooole world!" young Kaito said. "Can I go play now? I promised Aoko I'll meet her at the park and show her my new magic trick."

"Oooh it's that girl you met at the clock tower, ne?"

"Ha-Hai… Why are you staring at me like that? Stop pinching my cheeks! OW! That still hurts from the dentist!"

"It doesn't hurt from the dentist! It hurts because of the cavity you got from eating too much ice cream!"

"But I like ice cream! Can I go now?"

"Fine, fine."

"Did you tell chichi to save some tickets for Aoko for his show next month? I already told her she can watch for free."

"It's a date then! My little Kaito is growing up so fast!"

"IIE! She's just a friend! Stop pinching my cheeks! It hurts! It hurts!"

"But it's so plump and red because you're blushing! My super kawaii son has a girlfriend! I don't want to be an obaa-san yet! I'm still so young and too – "

There seemed to have been a jump or a cut on the tape.

"Next guests are his students from his disguise class, model and actress, Kudou Yukiko and Hollywood movie star, Vineyard Sharon. Welcome to the show, Yuki-chan, Sharon-san," Chikage said.

"Is this for real?" said a voice I didn't recognize. It must've belonged to that Sharon.

"Chika-chan! I saw you interviewing little Kaito a while ago! He's growing up to be so kawaii!" said a familiar voice that I recognized belonged to the Yukiko-san, who visited the day before.

"Growing up to be quite a pain, too," Chikage said. She suddenly sounded so gloomy. "He made the recorder vanish in the middle of his interview and I found it under the kitchen sink just now."

"He's just at his naughty age. Shin-chan is like that too! He doesn't do tricks but I see him around the house play-acting Holmes stories by himself. That soccer ball of his broke a lot of our windows and vases and – "

"Will this take long? I have an appointment by six," said the one named Sharon.

"Sharon-chan is so grumpy again!" Yukiko said.

"Just one question, how is my husband as a teacher?"

"He's very good, that's it. Can I go?" Sharon asked.

"I suppose so," Chikage said.

Silence for some while.

"Is she mad at me or something? She always looked so happy in my husband's class and I even see her smiling at you but every time I talk to her, it's like I'm her worst enemy," Chikage said.

"Maybe she's just intimidated by you because you're sensei's wife. A lot of our classmates are, too," Yukiko whispered.

"Like they're jealous?"

"Hmm, maybe. All the single ones are in love with Toichi. That didn't come from me, all right?"

"Um, okay. I'll just take this part out when I do the final edit of the drama tapes."

Then the girls talked more about Kuroba Toichi as a teacher – his style, his expertise, even his hairstyle. Side B is a continuation of Yukiko's observation on Toichi, and also several, shorter interviews with some of his other students. I listened to every one of them, trying hard to remember their names and checking if they said anything odd. I found nothing. Yukiko seems right about the being in love with Toichi, though. One of them even mentioned that he's available for private dinners and lessons if they request him for it. Chikage said in a very annoyed tone, "But this is with extra pay, ne?"

The one who said this, a stage actress named Imai Rika, only replied with "Of course, but he also does this to repay our love – "

"Love?"

"He's a very dedicated teacher, we all love him," Rika said. There was a clink of a lighter being opened.

"You make it sound like this is a problem..."

"It is," Rika said. She puffed her cigarette. "Because he loves us all, too…"

The tape ended there. If I was Chikage, I would've plucked out that girl's hair one by one using only my fingers. Maybe she actually did that, that's why the tape ended early.

The fourth tape was just a narration of all of Toichi's achievements and travels around the world. This continued until the fifth tape. I fast forwarded both tapes. The sixth tape was a recording of one of the performances of Toichi and small Kaito can be heard in the background, ooh-ing and aah-ing and telling small Aoko "That's my chichi!" Aoko replied with "You already told me that!"

The seventh tape was about Toichi's childhood. I also pressed the fast forward button in this tape because it was mostly Chikage saying "Super kawaii" every ten seconds to some photograph of Toichi as a child.

The eight tape was another recording of a class. This time, the students were asked to perform their assignment of imitating a voice of a person they know well. I pressed stop when I heard a familiar voice. It was the real voice of Kisa-san! It didn't say who was using the voice, because the tape started recording in the middle of the class and the students were already using their adopted voices. It happened like this – Toichi would ask a question and everyone would respond with their adopted voice. The real voice of Kisa-san would always answer second. She was probably seated second to either the left or the right.

Chikage later provided an explanation on the basics of voice changing. She sounded like a science teacher, with all her talk about frequencies and vibration.

The ninth tape was about Toichi Kuroba's activities during his rest days. It was basically a recording of a karaoke session with Chikage. I fast forwarded this as well. The last tape was about Toichi as an inventor. Chikage explained that Toichi would make his own props and gadgets he would use in his tricks. A lot of technical stuff, explained by Toichi himself, so I skipped most of it. At the end of side B, Chikage said "See you again next time for another episode of Toichi's World! Next time, we'll be interviewing Toichi's friends and drinking buddies!"

I searched the shelves for the other tapes but they were nowhere to be found. Maybe that was really the last of them. I stared at the stack of dummies for some time. What should I make out of what I just heard? I remembered that Kisa-san whispered Toichi's name in the forest. Was she one of the students who were in love with him? That Imai Rika seems suspicious, especially on her hinting that Toichi was having affairs with his students. It also occurred to me that Kisa-san might really be one of the students in the class and might just had some plastic surgery done. I mentally listed down that I had to research later about plastic surgery.

I kept staring at the dummies and a brilliant idea came to mind. I hurried down the stairs and back to Chikage's room. I grabbed my phone on the bed and called the imp.

"Get here," I told him and a moment later, he was beside me.

"I am here, ojou-sama. I was just about to finish writing down the procedures you have to do once you obtain the holy gems. May I say you look lovely as ever, Akako ojou-sama," he said.

"Whatever," I said. "Tell me, what are your powers? Beside teleporting, that is. I can't seem to remember all of them…"

"It's only natural that you can't remember because you lost your powers and most of the memory connected to performing our rituals and magic," he reminded me. "Well, beside teleporting, Lucifer gave me powers that will enhance my serving of you, the last descendant of the red witches."

"Like?"

"Everything I cook turns to a delicious meal and with a snap of my fingers, I could clean the whole mansion." He scratched his nose. He apparently doesn't know what I'm asking from him.

The revulsion on my face must've showed. "That's it?"

"I could do the laundry very fast, too," he said rather proudly.

"Why is this all housework-related? No time travel? No transforming objects into animals?"

He shook his head, confused. "You are a great witch, ojou-sama, and you can perform any magic you want. That's why I am only given magic that can assist you. Even the teleportation is given so that I can appear by your side when you summon me."

"These powers are not very helpful now, is it?"

He scratched his head. "Have I displeased you, ojou-sama? What is it you want? Maybe there is something I could do about it."

I told him about the _Undying_, about Kaito choosing his pride over my welfare, about how he hinted I should steal the gem from him, about how I could use some of his okaa-san's props. I told him about the things I heard on the tape, especially that part about the blood. I told him about the dummies. I told him about my plan.

"Can you bring them back to the mansion and prepared what I told you?" I asked him.

"Of course, ojou-sama," he said with a bow.

"Now, be gone and make haste with the preparations," I told him. And he was gone.

I went back up in the attic and opened the wardrobe. I pulled out an outfit I recognized – a black, furry two-piece, connected by leggings and sleeves made to look like bandages.

I slipped out of my night dress and donned the heist outfit. It fit me perfectly. I stood in front of the full body mirror and thought I looked good.

"_Phantom Lady_ had red hair," I told the girl in the mirror. "And she was no witch."

_Next: Friendly Enemies_


	4. Friendly Enemies

Disclaimer: You know the drill. I don't own any of the characters in this fiction.

Author's Notes: This update took later than usual because I was busy with my big two and two. I'm getting older.

O O O

_Chapter 4: Friendly Enemies_

I just slipped out of the heist outfit when the door bell rang.

Is it her? Is she back? I put on my night dress and checked my watch. It was a little past one in the afternoon.

It couldn't be her. She knows Kaito should still be at school. Unless she also knows I'm still here, and I'm the one she's actually after…

The doorbell rang again when I finally reached the gate. I opened it to Hakuba Saguru, gasping for air.

"Hakuba! What are you doing here?" I gestured for him to come in.

"I couldn't stop thinking the whole morning," he said. We went in the house.

"Thinking about what?" I asked as I closed the door behind us.

He looked away. "Well, you of course… You were alone in this house and some kidnappers are after you. I know you're a very capable young lady but it's quite irresponsible for a detective to leave a victim alone. And most of all, in Kuroba's house!"

He eyed the ceiling and floor suspiciously as we both stood there in the doorway. "If I knew any better, I'd say there's a stack of corpses somewhere in their basement…"

Deduction's a little off but it would be best not to let him in Chikage's room.

"So, you sneaked out of school just so you can keep an eye on me?" I asked. This is somewhat surreal. Hakuba Saguru, I can't read you.

"I didn't sneak out," he said. "I asked permission to be excused because of a case… I mean, this is a case, ne? Attempted kidnapping."

I nodded. "I appreciate the gesture but I don't mean to pay you because I didn't even hire you in the first place."

"I know, I know." He put his hands in his pockets. "Pro bono, then. Special rate for a friend." He looked at me. "We are friends, ne?"

I opened my mouth but didn't know quite what to say. I was bewildered why my cheeks were growing hot.

He shrugged. "We're not close but beside Aoko, you're the only girl in the school not crazy about KID. I see you at his heists but you've never held a banner or cheered him on."

"You could say that," I replied. Well, that's one way to look at it. I could never tell him that though we share the same desire to capture KID, our intentions with him differ. When you think about it, we could actually be rivals.

"And you defy that convention that if you're not – as how the girls would say it – "Team KID", you're in "Team Hakuba" which all sound ridiculous but it makes me feel comfortable toward you," he continued saying.

I looked at him and was surprised to find myself attracted. His good looks is undeniable and so is his wit. He has a prominent bone structure, making it seem like he is a very serious person, but the soft, blonde waves falling on his face balanced it with gentleness.

"Is there something on my face?" He placed both hands over his cheeks and rubbed them. "Or did I say something – "

"Iie. I was just thinking… Yes, we're friends," I said. I didn't offer a smile but I said this as polite as I could.

He gestured toward the kitchen. "You still haven't eaten anything. I can help you reheat the food from last night. Just don't eat too much of the cabbage. I felt dizzy after we ate and I fell asleep right away. It might be spoilt or something."

I remembered seeing him asleep on the bed last night. I blushed even more.

"You're getting all red in the face," he said. "Is your fever still high?"

"I feel better but I may need to sleep the rest of the day," I said. Almost instantly after I said it, I felt fatigue creeping in my body. Spending half a day in Kuroba Chikage's room was no treat.

"Well it's never good to sleep with an empty stomach," he said as he held out a hand.

"Let's eat?" he asked.

I took his hand and nodded. I felt myself genuinely smile for the first time in a long while.

O O O

As we stuffed ourselves with the leftovers, Hakuba interviewed me about the alleged kidnapping. He also apologized for not asking the details sooner, but it's only because he didn't want to me to relive right away the details of such an incident. I just kept answering that I don't remember much and he finally agreed to let my mind "recover" until it "remembers anything helpful to the case." I couldn't really tell him that my kidnapping was just a cover up to what really happened. In truth, if there's someone who might be kidnapped, it's Kaito.

He also suggested that he watches over me while I sleep. He said something about kidnappers going in through the window.

"Better we stick with each other," he said, adding that I shouldn't worry because he was not Kuroba Kaito and that he was taught "courtesy and a lady's virtue" early on.

"I'll be sitting myself on a chair or on the floor beside the bed. To pass time, I'll finish re-reading The Sign of Four," he said. "Holmes case. One of my favorites."

"Maybe it's better if I sleep in your room instead?" I suggested, remembering Chikage's walk-in closet. "My sheets are all sticky and dirty from sweat and I don't know where to get a change of sheets."

"I understand," he said. "Only the best for the princess."

He escorted me up the stairs and into his room. Under the afternoon light, I could clearly see the details of the guest room. It was smaller than Kaito or Chikage's room. The walls were painted butter yellow and had simple, white pieces of furniture. Once inside, he took the chair from the dresser and positioned it beside the bed. He also took the book, resting on top of a pillow.

"After you," he said. Then, a look of embarrassment on his face. "What I mean to say is that I don't intend to climb into the bed, rather I'll take my seat after you've made yourself comfortable."

I obliged and snuggled under the sheets. He sat on the chair and opened his book to a page I estimated to be past half the story.

"What's that about?" I asked.

"One of the most action-packed Holmes cases where he dealt with a group of – " He frowned at me. "Say, you don't look tired at all."

"I think I just needed to lie down… I was feeling sleepy a while ago but not so much now," I said.

"Well, I'm afraid that if you want me to read you a story to be sleepy, this won't do," he said as he closed the book. "Do you want me to tell another story? A bedtime story, perhaps?"

"Not really." I started to twirl strands of bangs on my forehead. "Was never fond of stories, especially those fairytales. I never understood why the witches are portrayed as ugly and miserable. They also get killed in the end."

Hakuba shrugged. "Children have simple minds. They need radical examples to teach them to differentiate right from wrong."

"But that's not really what happens in real life." I brushed the strands of bangs aside. "Life's full of gray areas."

Hakuba was looking intently, like he wanted to say something but is choosing not to.

"These fairytales are just disillusioning the children," I continued. "They should just replace the fairytales with stories about kidnappings, murder, torture, violence, heartbreak, losing your parents to accidents. That sort."

Hakuba out down his book on the dresser table nearby. "Well there are certain fairytales with not-so-happy endings, you know. One's The Pigkeeper by Hans Christian Anderson. In the end, the princess was banished from the castle and her prince also left her. The Little Mermaid, another story he wrote, also ended differently in the original version. The protagonist threw herself onto the sea and died. In the original version of Cinderella, there was also a morbid scene where the stepsisters cut off their toes just so their feet could fit in the slipper."

"Those are as equally radical, I suppose," I said. "I might not have heard of them because, as I said, I was never particularly fond of fairytales."

"You'd be surprised how some of them can be interesting," he said. "One of my favorites has to be The Princess And The Moon, an old English tale that hailed from a lullaby. It also has a sad ending. Have you heard of it?"

"I think we read that in English class," I said. "The princess fell in love with the moon and a fairy gave her the chance to become either a star, the sun or the clouds. In the end, she just chose to remain as she is."

"My okaa-san used to tell it to me when I was younger," he said. "She used it as a sort of explanation why she and dad don't live together. She said some things are better loved from afar."

"Oh yeah, you said once your okaa-san is staying back in England while your dad is the director for investigation here," I said.

"I was young when they separated and I didn't really understand what was happening." He turned his face away. "Up to now, I still don't know why."

It wasn't every day that Hakuba Saguru shared something so personal but his voice was cool as always. He said all these without any hint of emotion, as if they were just some data from an experiment he conducted. I wasn't particularly bothered. I knew exactly how years of frustration could make you indifferent toward some matter.

"Is it okay for you to share something so personal?" I asked right away. "You don't have to, you know… and I'm sorry if I said anything to make you think you need to – "

He smiled. "It's okay. About time I tell someone, too."

It dawned on me that I was not particularly good at these kinds of conversations. I barely had any idea what to say or do. To avoid looking him in the eye, I just stared at the framed painting of doves, hanging on the wall.

"But you must've asked her," I thought out loud. "If she offered a vague reply, you must've kept asking her."

"I did," he replied. "Countless times when I was younger. I always get the same response – she'd repeat the lines by that princess in the fairytale. Some things are better loved from afar."

"It might've been that time when I started to get interested with the why behind every case." He looked at me. "'Cause everything that happens need to have a reason. It can't be totally random. Even serial killers have preferences, creating a pattern in choosing their victims. Do you get what I mean?"

"So, not knowing the reason behind the separation of your parents is what eventually caused your motive obsession," I said. "I watch the news every now and then and most commentators actually say it humanizes the suspects."

"Not everyone," he said. "I once handled a case about a woman who stabbed her husband at the back... Literally. When I asked her why, she said it's because her husband kept complaining that she had heavy feet and her footsteps are too loud. She did it to prove him wrong. And she was right in the end – her husband didn't even hear her creeping up behind him, that morning when he was reading the Sunday paper in their living room."

I stopped myself from saying that I understood her intention.

"But as for asking their motives, it's not so bad," I said. "At least we get to hear their side of the story."

He nodded. "Once found out, they usually fall on their knees and confess their story, anyway. But since we're on the topic of why, I have to ask you something…" A slight tremor in his voice.

"What is it?"

His brow tied in a knot for a second or so. "Why do you like him?"

"Do you mean Kuroba?"

"Who else?"

"I don't."

He crossed his arms. "You have to stop denying that, you know. It will only hurt you more in the end. And you're already headed down that road."

"Now I don't understand why we're talking about this," I said. "It's surely not making me feel sleepy."

"He's in love with Aoko, you should know that," he said.

My chest tightened. "That's not for you to say."

"I know the secret the two of you share – I saw you both on his bed yesterday night…"

I stared at him. He couldn't have –

"I woke up after passing out and was heading down the kitchen to look for a pain killer when I saw his door ajar. I opened it a bit more and peeked in and saw you both on his bed," he said. "My suspicions were right all along. You two have that kind of relationship. That's why the two of you were so jumpy when Aoko suggested we stay."

Oh. So he was the one who opened the door, and that's the secret he thought he uncovered. That's better than some newfound evidence tying Kuroba to KID, I guess.

"Did you hear what we were talking about?" I asked.

His cheeks turned red. "What I witnessed was a private matter. I left right away, as I should."

"Even if you two are sharing that kind of relationship, don't confuse Kaito's curiosity with love," he continued. "He's just giving in to the primal desires of boys our age, but in the end, he'll go back to Aoko."

"That isn't for you to decide." The tightening in my chest won't go away.

"In any case, that shouldn't be a problem, right?" He picked up the book again and leafed through the pages. "You said you don't like him."

A let out a long exhale. "Maa, you said yourself that the things we want the most are the things we can't have."

O O O

I eventually fell asleep when Hakuba decided I was "stubborn yet inconsistently consistent". So he read his book, without uttering a single word to me. The silence lulled me to sleep and when I woke up hours later, it was Aoko and not Hakuba, watching over me.

"You finally woke up," she said. She was holding our English textbook. "Kaito and Hakuba-kun are downstairs, eating dinner and arguing about – well, at first it was KID, then it was about the justice system, then something about bread knives I think, then KID again, after that, it was about morality on – oh, I forget and I got annoyed so I just left."

"Hmm," was all I could manage to reply. Remembering what Hakuba said about her and Kaito sent another pang of pain to my chest.

She set down the book on the drawer. "I can bring up your dinner, if you like. I made it myself. Hot pot, but nothing special. I can bring in a bowl."

"I would appreciate that," I said. "Thanks."

She smiled and left the room. Not a minute has gone by when Kaito entered the room with a tray.

"Aoko was quite disappointed that I beat her to bringing your dinner." He set the tray on the bed. "Or she's probably just jealous again. She's been going on and on and on and on the whole day that I should confess that we have something going on."

"I heard you didn't deny it either," I said as I took the bowl.

He smirked. "It'd be fun to mess with her for a while. Act all mysterious and then when she finally discovers all her stupid suspicions are wrong, she'll realize that being paranoid 24/7 isn't a good thing."

I shrugged as I started to eat the hot pot. I was mildly surprised that it was tasty. I may not favor the girl, but she knows how to cook. I'll give her that.

"Anyway, she's downstairs doing the dishes with Hakuba," he said. "Which gives us some minutes to talk. So, did you uhm, did you find anything interesting in haha's room?"

"I found some tapes of your okaa-san and otou-san," I said. "Recordings of his classes and techniques."

"Haha's tapes? Toichi's Wold?" Kaito started laughing. "Did you listen to the first one? I didn't understand it when I was younger so I asked haha and she told me it was fan service."

I almost threw up my last bite. "It was audio pornography."

Kaito stopped laughing and scratched his head. "I was young and when she said it was fan service, I still didn't get what she meant until a few years later."

"Was she honestly planning to sell those?" I continued eating more of the beef and vegetables in the hot pot.

Kaito shrugged. "She even made vinyl copies and she was supposed to give it to chichi for his birthday 'cause my chichi loves vintage things. But before she could give it, he… You know…"

"My haha gave the vinyl recordings to me, instead," he continued. "I always listened to them when I was younger, every time I want to hear chichi's voice. It came to a point that I scratched some of them from listening too much." He was smiling and he looked like a little kid who was embarrassed to admit some naughty deed.

I gave him a sympathetic smile.

"There's actually an interesting tape, the one about him as a teacher," I said. "A student named Imai Rika implied that your chichi might be having affairs with his students. She said he was available for – "

"Chichi loved haha and haha alone." His voice was harder and his face suddenly looked serious. "Imai Rika is nothing but a delusional, obnoxious girl. I met her younger cousin, Reiko, recently. They share the same characteristics. They act so proud just because they own some theater companies."

"She's not a threat, then?"

"I hardly believe a spoiled heiress like Imai-san would join a syndicate," Kaito said. His voice and face hasn't softened a bit. "Knowingly, at least."

"If it isn't Imai-san, then it's probably someone else, but definitely someone from that class," I said. "Kisa-san's true voice sounded exactly like one of those girls during the voice imitating exercise."

"Really?" His eyes widened. "That confirmed that she's really one of the students, huh? From what I remember, haha recorded that session from Yukiko-san's class. I wasn't there when it was recorded, but Yukiko-san's class always met every week at the same time."

"And it was during that time that Chikage-san recorded the episode about the voice changing?"

Kaito looked up, as if the memory of that day was just floating above us. "I remember 'cause I was supposed to visit my chichi that day too, but I got chicken pox that week so I couldn't leave the house."

I tried to picture a small Kaito with little, red pox marks on his skin. Almost instantly, my imagination also included Chikage-san, doting on him and saying he's "super kawaii" while pinching his cheeks. I emptied my bowl and set it back on the tray.

"I can't find a list of all the students," I interrupted his reminiscence. "But your okaa-san has interviewed all the students in the class of Yukiko-san and some other students from a different batch. It's from the Toichi as a sensei episode. Since we're only concerned with the students in Yukiko-san's class, we can use the process of elimination."

"I see where you're going here." Kaito cupped his chin with a closed fist. "We can eliminate Yukiko-san, her friend Sharon-san who is now dead, and Imai-san who I already met. That leaves three more people. Either way, I think we'll find out soon enough."

"You'll confront her as KID?"

Kaito made a "tut, tut, tut" sound while shaking his head. "Don't you mean if I was KID?"

"I forgot about that," I said. "How will you hide your identity from her? She seems convinced that your otou-san was the original KID. That's a very strong link to you."

He averted my eyes and kept silent. It dawned on me what he was planning to do.

"Setting up traps around the house, constantly looking if someone is following me, it would get tiring, I suppose…" He sighed. "It's only delaying my inevitable confrontation with them."

"Kuroba, you can't be serious! You're… you're going to confront her?" I shook him by the shoulders. "You can't do this! That's suicide! There's still time... We can come up with a plan that would dispel her suspicions about you! Just keep setting up those traps around the house and even at school until we perfect a plan to cover your identity! For tomorrow night's heist, you can have another double appear! I won't go through my own heist and I'll just appear as your double, just please – "

"This is my fight." He still wasn't looking at me. "And I've been thinking about it the whole day that I can't keep on running away from them, or anyone who knows I'm my chichi's son."

He took my hands off his shoulders. "Gomen, Akako… My mind's made up. I need to know exactly what happened to my chichi and if that means facing all the dangerous groups he dealt with, then so be it."

"Kuroba…" The tears came again. "Kuroba, please…"

He took my tray and stood up. He smiled. "Get your rest. Tomorrow will be a long day..."

O O O

I went back to Chikage's room that night. Aoko changed the sheets as I took my evening bath. It was a good thing that I hid the dagger and notes under the bed the night before. As we settled in, Aoko told me that the boys in school were planning to camp outside my house to "guard" me until I get better.

"I think they found out you were sick, but they still don't know you're staying here," she said.

She was still updating me about what's been happening around school when I gave slipped into slumber.

I dreamt a very odd dream that night. At first, I was holding a beating heart in one hand, the obsidian dagger in the other. My arms were covered in blood. I looked down and I saw myself covered in bloody bandages. Someone, somewhere was laughing. A soccer ball flies past me.

Then, I was in another place. I didn't have the heart nor the dagger with me anymore. I was in a forest and I could hear waterfalls from afar. I ran toward the sound but I just kept going in circles. I heard screaming, then laughing.

My surrounding suddenly blacked out. I was in total darkness, save for the tiny light source on my chest – a purple gem, no bigger than my fist, encased by gold chains, hanging from my neck.

Someone, somewhere, was screaming, falling…

And then, a whisper in my ear, "Once upon a time, there lived a princess, who fell in love with the moon."

O O O

"WELCOME BACK, PRINCESS!"

"We missed you!"

"We were lost without you!"

"Your beauty is the sun that shines over Ekoda High!"

It was pandemonium in the classroom during that lunch break, as usual. I was seated on my table and the boys crowded around me, offering me fruits, flowers and get well cards.

"Are you sure you're feeling okay, princess?"

Nameless faces – all the same, vying for my love and attention.

"Thank you for your concern," I told them all.

"We were supposed to visit your house," one of them said. "We were all so very worried because you have never been absent that long!"

"We thought something terrible happened to you!"

They all cried and I gestured for them to calm down. "Please, don't feel sad. I feel better now. I just needed to rest."

How can they be so simple-minded? Of course, now I understood how tears work and could sympathize with them a little. My eyes wandered to where Kaito was seated. He was there, his eyes staring out the window. His thoughts probably lost in the cloudless, autumn sky.

"If you gentlemen would excuse me, I have some matter to discuss with the princess," said a familiar voice from somewhere behind me.

I turned around. "Oh, it's you, Hakuba… What is it about?" My cheeks were growing hot again. I don't understand what's happening to me.

"I'd rather we talk about this in private," he said. He cocked his head toward the corridor. Much to the objection of the boys, I obliged.

Once outside, he lowered his voice. "Your kidnappers, do you remember what vehicle they used? The model, more specifically. Year manufactured will also be helpful."

Oh… but how can he possibly expect me to remember those details?

"I already told you that my memory's not much help," I said. "I think the whole ordeal was quite traumatizing for me."

He stepped closer. My cheeks grew hotter still. "I still think it's unsafe to be outside, to be honest," he said. "It's good that you came to school with us but we can't keep an eye on you all the time. There is also that suspicious car, driving around the parameter of the school since this morning."

"I asked the guards, earlier this break," he said. "They said they noticed that a black Porsche 356A has circled the school several times. They tried to approach it but it drove off."

"Iie, I don't remember the kidnappers using a car. I remember a red motor bike, but I'm not so familiar with brands," I said. Might as well ask him.

"The guards didn't say anything about that." He looked at his pocket watch. "There's still seven minutes, three-point-seven seconds until the break ends. I can ask the guards to watch out for that red bike. For now, don't wander alone. We shouldn't discard the possibility that they've already penetrated the campus."

He ran off. "I'll be back," he called as he left. "And get some rest! You look absolutely flustered!"

I frowned and rubbed my cheeks. What on earth is happening to me?

I went back to the room and the boys were still around my table. I told them that I was feeling dizzy so I politely asked them to disperse. They followed right away and some of them even left candies and smelling salts on my table. I just stuffed them into my bag before I approached Kaito.

"There's a black car circling around the school," I whispered.

"I know," he said. His eyes were still focused at the open window. "I've installed some devices around the school since earlier this week."

"Until the heist, don't leave my side," he said. "Understood?"

I nodded. My heart started to beat fast. He sounded serious again. Maybe he feels it too – that the upcoming heist won't be an ordinary one that he can just relax about.

"Hakuba will be going to the police HQ straight from school. You, Aoko, and I will be going back to my house to eat dinner and get a change of clothes. She will also be preparing a bento that she will bring for her dad who will be staking out in the museum." He grabbed from inside his pocket and took out two elastic bands. He started to play with them. "If there's any preparations you have to finalize, your best bet would be when we return to the house, when Aoko would be busy making the bento."

"When do we go to the museum?" I asked.

He formed a complicated pattern with the bands. "An hour before the announced time, give or take a few minutes."

"Speaking of the girl, where is she?" I feigned interest.

"With Keiko, in the girl's bathroom," he said as he continued to fondle the bands.

"How can you possibly – " That's when I saw a portable video player on his lap. It was showing the girl's bathroom from a camera installed at high angle.

"You never graduated from being a spineless pervert, did you?" I grabbed the player and turned it off. "This is an important day and you still have the nerve play those tricks and – "

He hung his head as he created another pattern with the bands. "Say, if this is your last day on earth, wouldn't you carelessly do all the things you enjoy?"

"That's not a very funny joke." I gave him back his player then folded my arms.

He looked up at me and smiled. "I'm looking forward to see your performance later, princess. I won't go easy on you, remember that."

I watched him create different patterns with the bands and he'd show me his finished product after several maneuvers with his hands.

He stretched the elastic bands so hard but before they could break, he made them disappear. The bell rang and most of our classmates returned to class.

Aoko was with that girl in pigtails and she was looking at us when she entered the room. I knew that look very well. She was jealous, but she also looked worried. Is it possible she could also sense the danger?

She sat on her chair, which was just beside Kaito's. She smiled at me. "Akako, you shouldn't tire your body. I don't think it's a good idea that you come with us to the museum, too."

"But after what Hakuba told us about the gem, I want to see it," I said. Stay out of our business.

"I was just thinking that it will be too crowded and you can get light-headed easily," she said. "And as for your kidnappers, Hakuba also thinks they may still be on to you… Where is he anyway? Break's almost over!"

Kaito stood up. "Sensei's not here yet so I'll go look for him and drag his ass back here." He put a hand over Aoko's left shoulder. "Wait for me."

We watched him exit the room, but neither he nor Hakuba have returned to the room that afternoon.

O O O

It was during last period when we heard the explosion. It came from the south wing of the second floor, where the laboratories are located. Both Aoko and I must have sensed that Kaito and Hakuba were implicated in whatever happened. We rushed out of the room, amid the chaos and shouting, and despite a stern warning from Yuriko-sensei that we should leave the room in an organized fashion.

Other students were already running in the corridor. They were all hurrying away from the direction of the laboratories, and we had to fight our way through them. Some of them were covered in soot and dust.

"Kaito!" I heard Aoko scream from somewhere behind me, as we reached the south wing.

Thick clouds of smoke blocked our view. It smelled heavily of chemicals. My guess was that the explosion came from the chemistry laboratory.

Our eyes got misty as we blindly pushed forward. It was also getting warmer. Somewhere beyond what we could see, there was most probably a fire. Aoko was coughing.

"Don't touch anything!" I warned her. "Stay close to me!" I felt her hands grab my arm as we ventured on, step by step.

The smog was getting thicker and I struggled to cover my nose and mouth with a handkerchief.

"Kai – " Aoko coughed. "KAITO! Where are you?"

I was about to explain to her that no one could hear her through the smog, when a pair of voice answered back.

"Aoko!" Kaito's.

"Aoko, is that you?" It was Hakuba's.

"We're here!" Aoko answered back. She waved her hands behind me.

There were figures approaching us. The smog wasn't dispersing but the figures were getting clearer. I told Aoko to stay put.

First one visible was Hakuba, his light-colored hair now dirtied from who knows what. He carried by the shoulder a girl in our uniform, her hair the same color as his. We couldn't see her face as it was sunk so low. She appears to have fallen asleep, or passed out, based on the amount of blood dripping from the right side of her body. Limping behind them was Kaito, who was clutching his left arm. We could see that it was bleeding as well, but a piece of cloth was tied around it, stopping much of the bleeding.

Aoko gasped as she let go of my arm and ran to Kaito. I rushed forward to help Hakuba carry the bloody girl.

"What happened here?" I asked Hakuba.

He coughed. "No time for explanations. Clinic."

We hurried out of the smog as fast as we could, but it kept chasing us. The warmth from the fire was licking the back of our necks. The corridors were almost deserted now, save for some students who went back for their bags.

The clinic was in the first floor of the east wing and the stairs going down was located a little past our classroom. We were already going down the stairs when the girl between me and Hakuba stirred. She lifted her head to look at me. Her face was blackened with dust but I instantly recognized her. It was the true face of Kisa-san.

"Hang in there," I felt compelled to tell her. The side of my uniform was also beginning to stain with her blood. She groaned and fell back to unconsciousness.

Having reached the first floor, we navigated through the first years' corridors until finally, we were out of the building. We needed to cross the field to get to the clinic but we were approached by several men in bright yellow uniform. One of them told us in haste that everyone was asked to evacuate the school and that if we need medical attention, several ambulance were waiting by the gates.

We looked around and saw from a distance that students are leaving the school in orderly lines. We could hear ambulance sirens from afar. Some of the men in uniform were going to the direction where we came from, to search for students who might've been trapped, I heard one of them shout. There were also some of them who were trying to put out the fire. The flames were visible from several windows of the second floor.

"What happened to her? Can she walk?" The one who talked to us earlier asked.

"She needs medical attention right away," Hakuba replied.

The man signaled for his colleagues to bring a stretcher over to us. Two men of heavy built brought a stretcher and placed it on the ground. They then asked us to transfer Kisa-san's weight on theirs, and they placed her on it. Before they carried her out, Kaito insisted that he should be in the same ambulance as her. The man who ordered for the stretcher agreed, adding that Kaito should also let the paramedics take a look at his arm.

"Matte! Kaito!" Aoko called out.

"Stay here," Kaito said, without looking back.

"But Kaito – "

"I already told you a while ago to wait for me, and you still rushed toward the explosion!" His voice was angry. "Honor my request this time, Aoko. Don't be stubborn!"

"Bakaito! You think I'll – "

She was about to rush forward but I put my arm in front of her. "You heard him. He needs to take care of this on his own. He doesn't want you involved."

She started sobbing as we watched Kaito and the men carrying the stretcher walk toward the gates. The students in line parted to make way for Kaito and the men with the stretcher.

"He's hiding something!" Aoko said as Kaito passed the gate. "It's not just about the two of you! The whole week I could feel that he was so unsettled! There's something bothering him and he doesn't want to tell me…"

I turned to her and slapped her. Hard. "So what if he doesn't tell you? Do you think you could help? All you can do is worry and you worrying about him makes him worry for you, too! It makes you an added nuisance! So grow up and learn that there are fights you can't fight! You can't save him all the time! You're just a helpless little girl!"

She fell on her knees and cried harder. My eyes started to tear up, too. I soon realized that I wasn't only shouting at her. My last few statements were also directed at myself. I was angry and frustrated that I currently have no powers and that I couldn't help Kaito. So this is how powerless feels.

Hakuba stepped in between us. "Ladies, I know the ordeal we went through has been very stressful, but we need to compose ourselves." He held a hand out to Aoko, who took it. He pulled her up. "Actually, we also need to go to that direction because the officer advised us to get treated. Just in case we have chemical burns and such."

We nodded and started walking silently. Only a few students were left in the field. These were several seniors who were the last to go out. When we approached the gate, we had to line up after them so we could exit. It was a good thing that the man who spoke to us earlier noticed that we also lined up, so he told the seniors to make way for us, because we're injured. When we finally exited the school, the ambulance was waiting for us by the gate.

The back door of the ambulance opened. "Your classmate told us to wait for you," said a man in green overalls. He gave us a toothy smile. He then ushered us inside and had us sit on a mobile bed. He closed the door and the van started moving. Inside was bigger than I thought. The walls of the ambulance were covered with cabinets, filled with medical apparatus and bottles of what I assumed to be medicine. There was also a sink, and several small windows, where we could barely see what was happening outside.

A lot of students were just standing idly at the street in front of the school. They parted to give way for the ambulance. Several more students were also walking, some running, away from the school. Teachers were talking to groups huddled near the gate. A news van was also going to the direction of the school.

"Hey, are you okay?" Hakuba touched my hand. I looked at him and nodded. He was between me and Aoko and… even covered with so much dust, anyone could tell he was still good-looking.

Aside from Hakuba, Aoko and I, the man who welcomed us was also inside, as well as a doctor. A driver was seated on the front of the vehicle. Behind the driver's seat was a similar chair where the doctor was seated. He must've been the doctor because he was wearing the white lab gown.

"Ladies first?" the doctor said, as he gestured for Aoko to sit on the stool in front of him. She did as bid, and he asked her several questions and examined her eyes and reflex and stuff. He also had her pull up her sleeves to check for bruises and burns.

Meanwhile, the guy who opened the door for us handed Hakuba and I some towels. I started wiping off the dust and soot on my face.

"You two look pretty beat up," he said. "Were you there inside the laboratory when it exploded?"

Hakuba shook his head. "I was outside the room. Kaito and the girl were inside."

"But you helped them, ne? You were the guy who carried the girl, I was told," this guy who seems to be the doctor's assistant, asked.

Hakuba was rubbing his face with the towel. "It was by chance that I was near the laboratory, for another investigation. I trained my ears to know different types of explosion, so I knew it was a chemical explosion right away. I also know the exact time, right down to the millisecond, how long it would take for the fire to spread. Both Kaito and that girl were blasted out of the room and seeing their injury, I calculated that they would never make it out alive if I won't help them."

Hakuba had removed most of the dirt off his face and hair. He handed the towel back to the medic's assistant. I did the same.

"You're – you're – I know you!" The medic's assistant pointed at Hakuba's face. "Your face was so dirty a while ago that I didn't recognize you but I remember now! You're one of those high school detectives! I saw you in the news last week!" He seemed overjoyed. He handed us two plastic cups with green hot, green liquid inside.

"That's tea, for the nerves," he said. Then he gave us towel to put around our shoulders "for the shock."

"If you excuse me, detective, and pretty miss, I'll go hand a cup of tea to your friend," he said. "The doctor will be with you after he's examined her."

"Before you go, would you tell us where Kaito is? As well as where we are headed?" Hakuba said.

"Your friends are on their way to Ekoda Hospital. We're headed there too, just in case one of you has some sort of concussion or something. Standard ops." He shrugged. "Oh yeah, we need you to undergo a CAT scan, too. It's your school's request to anyone who was near during the explosion. And you five seem to be at the scene of the crime!"

"Are there others injured?" Hakuba asked.

The assistant shook his head. "From what I heard over the radio, only you five seem to be near the laboratories."

"Are they hurt badly?" I asked.

"Don't worry, young miss," he said. "They'll be fine. Something fell on them, must have been some heavy equipment for some of your science experiment. The boy has some second degree burns and some glass stuck on his arm, but the girl seemed to have shielded him from the explosion. That much he explained, anyway. Burns and shards of glass on the right side of her body. Not pretty, I tell you. But she'll live."

"Well, thank you for that information, sir," Hakuba said. His hand was still holding onto mine. I felt him squeeze it harder.

"I don't understand," he whispered, as soon as the assistant was out of earshot.

"What happened in there? You said you arrived in time for the explosion?" I asked him.

"I already deduced that your kidnapper, that lady who owned that motor bike you told me earlier, was hiding somewhere in the school and I searched for places and rooms that were empty. I was going to inspect the laboratories last and was on my way there when the explosion occurred," he continued whispering.

"Matte, rewind a little. How did you know she was inside the school in the first place?" I asked.

"I searched around near the school for a red motor bike whose owner had left it," he started. "I found one in a nearby restaurant. To check if the owner had abandoned it, I went up to the cashier and had her announce that a red motor bike had its tires slashed. It was the only red motor bike in the vicinity and no one in the restaurant claimed it was theirs, so it coincided with my theory that the red motor bike was abandoned, and must've belonged to your kidnapper."

"Why were you looking for a red motor bike that was abandoned?"

"I know there's something you and Kuroba are not telling me yet, but I was led to the conclusion that your kidnappers are the type who would carefully plan their attack, and gather surveillance first. That's why you were staying at Kaito's, you said. Now that you have survived the first attack, their next logical step is to wait until you get back to the house. Of course, she soon discovered, after a few days of your absence, that you weren't staying there. Her next step is to wait for you at school. Since I found out about the kidnapping, I've been wary if surveillance has been installed around the school, or if suspicious characters have been lurking around the vicinity. The guards who I employed reported no suspicious lurkers, until today. It's either she just discovered that her best bet is to wait for you at school, or she must've just chosen to act now. The abandoned motor bike was her getaway vehicle after she infiltrates the school with surveillance devices, and whatever else she needed to do."

"Then why were you searching for deserted areas around the campus? If her only plan is on surveillance, then she could've installed it right away then left. It's probably safer for her to listen or watch from somewhere else," I said.

"The black Porsche," he replied.

"What about it?"

"She wasn't going to act alone this time," he said. "Though you weren't familiar with the car, I assumed the previous time, she tried to take on you alone, but now knowing how strong you are, even having managed to avoid her the past few days, she would surely bring back up. The porsche circled the school several times, as I told you. Now why would they do that unless they are planning to act now?"

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. My kidnapping story was a fib but his deduction bore something… something that might even be exactly what happened.

"My guess was, she reports from the inside, she takes you out personally and they wait somewhere near outside, to help her, well, carry you out and take care of you, if you're being quite troublesome," he said.

"Are you saying they probably planned on hiding me inside a body bag and throwing me over the school fence?"

"Maybe, or she pretends to be a student who will leave the school because she got sent home, and hides you in a big bag and strolls out of the gate. Or, she drugs you, and you'll be the one sent home, and she pretends to be your sister who will accompany you going home. You saw that she was already wearing the uniform of the school, ne?"

"There's a number of ways to sneak out of school, I guess," I said, having known some of them personally because of Kaito, of course. However, the uniform thing only adds up if she was indeed out to kidnap someone. That someone was Kaito, not me, but since Hakuba's deduction was coming from a kidnapping point of view, I guessed the truth wasn't far.

"But something doesn't add up," I said. "You said Kaito and the kidnapper came from the laboratory, where the explosion occurred. Why is Kaito there and – ?"

"I know I usually call that boy a thief, and I'll deny this if ever you decide to tell him, but he's got a good head on his shoulders," he interrupted. "He knows your complete story, after all. He might have some deducing himself and tracked her there. So as I was saying, I was looking for areas in the school where she could hide and listen or watch from her bugs, and wait for the right time to make a move on you. I went to the gymnasium, the music rooms, the club rooms. I searched the laboratories last because I thought it would be a stupid hiding place. All the flammable chemicals there, if ever you decide to squeeze in between the cabinets or such."

"I already get that part." I noticed he was still holding onto my hand. "My question was actually, why did she shield Kaito from the explosion? That assistant told us that… Why would she do that if Kaito tracked her down and confronted her? Wouldn't the logical explanation be that she caused that explosion to get rid of Kaito?"

"Maybe she doesn't know there was going to be an explosion," he said. "Remember she had accomplices. They disappeared after circling the block a few times, but they're still probably nearby, also getting information from her. I just thought about this now – the south wing of our school building is directly parallel to a high-rise apartment complex. They may have a sniper on the lookout there. Whoever caused the explosion wasn't either of them."

"Even if she wasn't responsible for the explosion, why would she shield Kaito?"

"Maybe she didn't agree with their sniper shooting Kaito down?" He shrugged. "Or maybe she was the one being shot for being found out, and Kaito saved her from the bullet. However, in their escape, they bumped into some chemicals, causing the explosion. Either they bumped into it or the sniper went crazy and shot the cabinets, too, knowing it would take care of them, both. The latter explanation makes more sense and continuing with that logic, as the explosion occurred, it was possible she felt she needed to return her gratitude to Kaito, thus shielding him."

"That makes sense, I suppose," I said. "The sniper and whoever else is part of her group, you said they were at the apartment complex. You think they're still there?"

He shook his head. "The explosion already caused quite a commotion. They would be wise to leave their location, plus they now have to bother about getting their colleague back."

"So they're heading toward the hospital too?"

He smiled. "That's where we're heading, ne?"

O O O

The announced time for the heist was at nine in the evening. It was half past seven when we were all finished with what the hospital attendants called "standard ops" for people involved in explosions and similar accidents. Each of us were given rooms to stay for the night, and Nakamouri-keibu, Aoko's otou-san, even dropped by, having heard about her daughter's fate.

"Gomen, otou-san," she told him as he visited her in her room. I was there that time, because we all decided to have dinner together.

"I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time," she explained. "I couldn't bring you a bento to work today… Gomen…"

"Don't worry about it," the inspector said. "To make you feel better, I promise to catch KID tonight! You can watch it on the news! It's being broadcasted live, as usual!"

She smiled. "Gambatte, otou-san!"

With that, the inspector left the room and we continued eating from the trays that the staff brought us. We were all dressed in hospital gowns because our school uniforms were tattered and stained with chemicals and blood. None of us spoke for a while and Aoko made an effort not to look at, or communicate with Kaito at all.

"You sure we're not breaking hospital rules for leaving our rooms?" Hakuba asked Kaito.

"This nurse said there was nothing seriously wrong with u – I mean, you guys so it would be all right," Kaito said.

"But what about you?" I asked.

"I'm strong!" He beat a fist on his chest. "It would take more than that to kill me!"

"What would, huh?" It was the first time Aoko spoke to Kaito that night. "And you never even explained why you were there in the first place."

Kaito pouted. "I was looking for Hakuba, when I found this chick playing hooky and I warned I would rat her out so she offered that we make out, in exchange of not telling on her. The laboratory was the only empty room nearby."

Aoko looked away, hurt.

"Next time, try the truth," Hakuba said. "It takes much longer to explain but at least it makes more sense."

"Whatever," Kaito said. "I'm going to check on her, see if she woke up."

"I'll go, too," I said.

"Me too." Hakuba stood up from his chair.

"And you're going to leave Aoko alone?" Kaito asked Hakuba. "I thought you were more of a gentleman that that! Akako's coming with me, 'cause we'll go straight to my room after. No peeking." He looked straight at Hakuba.

We closed Aoko's room behind us and walked straight to the end of the corridor, where we knew Kisa-san was sleeping. We all checked on her an hour before, and she still hasn't woken up then.

"So, what really happened?" I asked him. It was the first time that night that the two of us were alone, and free to talk.

"You know that I was checking on the girls' bathrooms?" He removed the hospital band from his wrist. "Okay, part of me wants to check out the girls, but I really installed it there because I had a hunch she might need a closer surveillance on me today, because of the heist, since she suspects I'm KID."

We passed by the nurses' station and he gave the attendant a wink. The attendant went all googly-eyed and smiled at him.

"That's Rina-san, she treated me a while ago and basically gave me liberty to walk around her freely," he said.

"You were saying about Kisa-san?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Oh yeah, so, anyway, I was expecting her to infiltrate the school but she has to be in a disguise of sorts, ne? And whatever disguise she would use, she would need to adjust her make-up and stuff in the bathroom, so I monitored all the bathrooms since this morning." He stuffed the wrist band in his pocket. "Since she already knew about me and some of the people I know – you, Aoko, Hakuba, I paid close attention to you guys, too. I had a hunch she would bug any of you to get to me. You barely left the room since the morning and Hakuba was running around asking the guards so I doubted she touched either of you. It was easiest to get to Aoko and true enough, I saw her change her disguise in the bathroom at our floor and she stayed there for the entire break. When Aoko finally showed up, she pretended to bump into her as she placed the bug under her collar."

"She probably didn't know you could sink so low as to put hidden cameras in the bathroom, huh?" I crossed my arms as we walked. Whoever knew that his being a perv can be helpful one day.

"Most probably not. It wasn't my chichi's style to bug bathrooms and she probably thought I had the same principles, that's why she felt safe to adjust her disguise inside a bathroom," he said. "Anyway, Aoko just got back to the room and I knew that she installed the device underneath her collar so I took that too and I talked to her using the bug, told her to wait for me outside the bathroom."

"Was she the one who suggested you talk at the laboratory?"

"I didn't suspect the apartment complex nearby was housing their sniper. I barely noticed it. I thought she chose it because it was just the nearest deserted place," he said.

"And you confronted her?"

"Sort of." He dragged his feet. "She asked me first how I knew she was there, and I told her what I just told you. Then she asked why I was cautious that someone was after me. Don't worry, I didn't tell her that you saw her. What I said was that from the moment I saw her, I suspected… Oh, but I did tell her that she dropped by the house and showed you the photograph. That's when I told her that I checked it up with my haha and when their facts didn't add up, I did research."

"Did she deny it?" We were now three rooms away from Kisa-san's room.

"Not at all," he said. "She even commended me for my work. She said it would be useful to their organization."

"So we were right that they wanted you to join them."

"She was pretty confident I'll say yes. After all, she said she can just blackmail me because she knows my secret."

"That being your otou-san was KID, and now, you took over the job."

He didn't answer this. "She talked for a long time. She told me all about chichi. She said that a lot of organizations were out to get my chichi on their side. He was talented, and the talent he showed using his alter ego attracted the black market, the most dangerous of people, those in the shadows."

"Her group was one of those," he continued. "That's why they asked her to sign up for his classes, to investigate him and confirm if he really was KID, then blackmail him to joining them. If he wasn't KID. as they suspected, at least she would also learn some tricks and disguises, which was also valuable to their job. What she didn't expect was for chichi to find out her true intentions early on."

"Your otou-san knew about Kisa-san?"

"She said that chichi asked her if she liked what she was doing. She said she didn't have a choice. She said she was cursed and only the organization could help her. Then she said that chichi told her that she always have a choice, and even hinted that if she wanted freedom, he would help her get it."

We were already in front of Kisa-san's room.

"What did she say?" I asked.

Kaito gripped the doorknob. "She said she doesn't want it, and that if my chichi was wise, he'll accept their offer, because he doesn't have a choice, too."

He was about to turn the knob when I asked, "But your chichi didn't accept the offer, ne?"

He shrugged. "I already knew he was involved with another shady business of a different organization. I asked the same thing but Kisa-san didn't answer me directly. She just said that if I was wise, I would realize that I don't have a choice, too. So I should just give up."

"What did you tell them?"

"I said they didn't have proof. And she said, 'we'll just see about that tonight' but that's when their sniper, who was apparently listening to our conversation, fired a shot that almost hit me. I took cover as they argued because they didn't agree on what to do with me. More shots were fired and it finally hit this cabinet that caused an explosion."

"This medic said that you told him that she covered you."

He sighed yet another deep one. "She shouted my chichi's name as she pushed me out of the way." He turned the knob and we entered the room. It was dark and I fumbled for the light switch. Kaito's eyes seemed to be accustomed to the dark as he was already sitting on the bed, when the lights came on. The bed was empty.

"Where is she? She couldn't have moved in that condition!" His eyes were filled with terror, and confusion.

"There's something inhuman about her," I reminded him. "Beside, her mates from the organization definitely followed us in here."

"But they shouldn't have moved her! Did they ask her to jump down? This is the third floor! She was heavily injured!" He clutched his left arm, and the bandage that covered a large portion of it started to stain with fresh blood.

"And so are you," I told him. "So don't you dare plan on running after her, or any of them!"

"I'm so close to the truth…"

"Kuroba, I know I can't stop you from doing whatever it is you wish, even if it's suicide, but can you at least track them down when you have healed?"

"I don't need to track them down. They'll come after me. Tonight."

"Kuroba, do you still plan to go on with the – "

"See you at the museum, princess."

A gust of wind blew from the open window. I shielded my eyes with an arm. When it stopped, I lowered my arm. Kaito was gone.

O O O

I approached the attendant at the nurse's station.

"We all left our mobile phones at the school, so Kaito wondered if he could borrow yours," I told the nurse.

She didn't hesitate for a moment and gave me her phone. I told her that Kaito and I were watching over our friend who's staying at the last room on the right, at the end of the corridor. She nodded and I thanked her.

Inside the empty room, I called the imp and told him to fetch me. A second later, he was in the room and he told me that he will cause a black out and I should take advantage of the black out to climb down from the window and make my way toward the nearest exit. He brought me a change of clothes, too, so that I wouldn't look suspicious leaving.

"If you weren't so ugly, I would've already complimented you," I told him.

"Anything you say, ojou-sama," he said.

"Have you brought the outfit?" I asked.

"It's inside the bag I placed at the back seat of your limousine that parked near the south exit, nearest here," he said.

"One more thing, try to mess up the surveillance cam from this room, especially after Kaito and I walked in, but leave everything else before that."

"As you wish," he said.

"I'll see you later. I'll be using this number to contact you from now on." With that, the room blacked out and he disappeared. I could hear screams of surprise coming from the nearby rooms. I immediately changed into clothes, then climbed down from the window. The railings, the windows, step, step, step. There was always something to hold onto. Step, step, step. I didn't leave any note because I wanted Hakuba to think it was a kidnapping. Kisa-san disappeared, after all. And he was already aware that her colleagues have followed us. If Kaito and I are missing, then it was only logical to think that we were both kidnapped by Kisa-san's colleagues.

I landed with a soft thud on the grassy ground. I walked casually out of the hospital and looked for our limo. I found it at a nearby free parking area. I entered it and told him to step on the accelerator because it was under an hour before we reached Touto's Museum for Modern Arts.

"Such a pity you couldn't use your broom," he said. "You were also such a magnificent flyer."

I told him he wasn't helping and that if I was successful, I can ride all the brooms I want. We sped up and reached Shibuya a little below ten minutes. I now had a bigger motivation to get to Purple Majesty. Change of plans, though. I should get it before Kaito does… before he appears as KID. He shouldn't appear at all tonight, so that organization wouldn't have any evidence to prove he was KID.

"There seems to be traffic from a bus that collided with a van," the imp suddenly said.

"That can't be! I can't be late! I have to get there before he does! I have to steal the amethyst before he appears!" I unlocked the car and grabbed the bag beside me.

"Ojou-sama! Princess! There's still seven blocks before we reach the museum!"

"I have to get there now! Just teleport there and leave the car here, or I don't know, can you teleport the car there? Just stick to the plan, only, we'll do it earlier. Wait for my signal!" I stepped out of the car and ran toward the direction of the museum. People in public utility vehicles were also stepping out and opting to use the sidewalk.

I ran as I clutched the bag that contained some of the items I needed for that night. I was making a shortcut, a left on an alley, when a boy in a skateboard bumped into me. We both fell on the ground.

"Watch it, boy!" I said as I staggered to find my footing.

"Sumimasen," said the boy. He stood up and picked up his ugly yellow-and-green skateboard.

"Conan-kun!" called someone from behind us. It was a girl, about my age, and I thought she looked familiar. She entered the alley and approached us.

"Gomen nasai," she told me. "He's just really excited to see KID. We came from Beika and we've been stuck in that traffic for ages."

"Oh," I said. Then I realized I have seen the boy before. He was the boy always chasing after Kaito. I noticed that he dropped his glasses and I picked it up and handed it to him.

"Here. I think one of the lenses is cracked," I said. Our fingers brushed as he took it back. I felt a chill down my spine. What is this? Something is unnatural about this boy. How could I feel it? Were there some remnants from my power that could sense this? Or was this the mortals called "instinct"?

"Arigatou," the girl said for him. "We're going our way then. And no skateboards. You wouldn't be late. There's still around fifteen minutes before his announced time." She took the boy by the hand and they started walking. I followed them.

"I'm going that way, too, but I'm also rushing to meet a deadline," I told them as I hurried past.

I ran two more blocks. I checked my watch. Ten minutes. I could hear the crowd chanting KID's name. I finally arrived in front of the museum, but the gate has been closed because of over capacity. A thick crowd still gathered in front, all holding banners, while some wore pieces of KID's heist outfit. I fought my way in, until I could reach the gate, where some police officers were standing by.

"I need to see Nakamouri-keibu," I told one of the guards. "My name is Koizumi Akako, a classmate of her daughter, Aoko. I was with her at the hospital and something happened. I need to tell him. It's an emergency!"

"Do you have identification?" he asked.

I didn't have school card with me, unfortunately. "If something happens to Aoko, are you ready to take responsibility because you wouldn't let me in on account of something so trivial?"

That seemed to have worked, because I soon found myself escorted by guards to where Nakamouri-keibu is. The museum only had one floor, but with a high ceiling. Displayed in the middle of the room was Purple Majesty, encased in a glass box. Police officers guarded around it and the KID fanatics loitered around. Some even pretended to be mildly interested in the noveau art that hung on the walls, or installed from a portion of the ceiling.

I have just passed the security terminal, when the two escort guards pointed me to where I could find Nakamouri-keibu. I thanked them and told them I could make it from there.

When they could no longer see me, I headed towards the bathroom instead. My plan was to change into my outfit and call the imp, to give him the signal. I was just about to step into the hallway that leads to the bathroom, when it grew dark.

"Ladies and gentlemen," bellowed a familiar voice, from somewhere in the middle of the room.

By then, I knew I was too late.

_Next Chapter: Choice _


	5. Choice

Disclaimer: I don't own MK nor DC.

Author's Notes: Thank you for the reviews, and for all you readers of my fics. I'll complete _Resurrection_, of course. It's just taking longer to complete because I'm doing research, as well as fine-tuning the ending. Another thing to look forward to is the much-awaited Hokkaido trip of the gang, which is the third installment of this series (_Feature Story_ being the first and _The Princess And The Moon_ being the second). The story will have both the DC and MK cast and some members of the Tokyo PD will also have a participation.

PS This update took longer than expected because by the time I finished writing this fic (not chapter! The entire story!), my flash drive got lost so I had to retype it. And yeah, I had to get over the depression, too. And well, I was in and out of the hospital for various reasons.

O O O

_Chapter 5: Choice_

Scratch, scratch, scratch… Your memory vinyl… No, wait, actual scratching from somewhere up above…

"Ladies and gentlemen!"

Inside the dome that is Touto's Museum for Modern Arts, screams and cheers shattered in the darkness.

"It's a bit dark, isn't?" came that familiar voice from somewhere in the middle of the museum, where the Purple Majesty was displayed.

More cheering. More chanting of "KID! KID! KID!" People behind me were pushing to get closer to middle of the room. Well, more moving space for me. There were also several shouted instructions from who I recognized as Nakamouri-keibu.

"Turn on your night visions and don't move around so much until the lights get back! He may have prepared a trap for us!"

I took advantage of the dark. Time to execute Plan B, which is to shorten his appearance as much as possible, grab the Purple Majesty, and get the hell out of the museum.

I slipped out of my clothes and donned the heist outfit, except for the bandages. I grabbed for the phone and miscalled the imp's number.

Kaito's voice continued to boom and vibrate throughout the museum. "Let's light up this party, shall we?"

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

It sounded like fireworks were being set off, but the entire dome became illuminated with the hanging pieces of art, which have been covered by some sort of fluorescent paint.

KID was levitating in the center of the dome. A ghastly glow from the paint reflected on his shirt.

Ooohs and aaahs from the crowd. Nakamouri-keibu was saying something like, "Where's the net? Someone activate the net!"

And damn it, what's taking the imp so long?

The art pieces – stones, other jewelries – which were set on their cases, started to glow, too.

More ooohs and aaahs.

Still suspended in midair, Kaito started to pirouette like a ballerina. The hanging objects followed his movements, spinning faster for every turn.

Ooohs and aaaahs, but only short-lived, because looking up and seeing a hundred different, glowing objects spin so fast was dizzying. I started to get a bit light-headed, too, when I felt a tug on the hem of my outfit.

I looked behind me and saw the imp. "This is the first time I'm actually glad to see your ugly face," I told him.

He smiled. "I take that as the highest of compliments, ojou-sama."

"Have you set up the… You know…"

He nodded. He handed me a remote control I stole from Kaito's okaa-san's attic. Took me a while to figure it out and set it up properly, actually.

"It's time," the imp said. I nodded at him.

I pressed one of the buttons. The lights came back on. I looked up and Kaito was nowhere in sight. The objects stopped spinning and were back to the way they were. People were confused and were murmuring to one another.

Any minute now, someone will notice…

"The gem's gone!" a girl from the other end of the room pointed out. I couldn't see from where I was, but there were some cheering and chanting from the fans.

"KID got Purple Majesty!"

Any minute now…

"KIIIID!" Nakamouri-keibu yelled from somewhere in my right. "Where are you? I think one of my guards restored the light switch but we'll get you and that gem in – "

A piercing scream from somewhere in the entrance.

There you go.

"KID? Was that KID?" Nakamouri-keibu was pushing his way past the crowd.

More screams. The couple behind me pointed to the wall.

"They're dead!" the girl said as her knees gave.

"C'mon, let's get out of here!" urged her partner, who pulled her up.

"They're trying to kills us!"

"There's a murderer in here!"

"They killed KID!"

"We're all going to die!"

More people started to scream. Music to my ears. You see, all lined up against the wall, and scattered in different parts of the room, were my carcasses.

They were dressed up as civilians attending the show, but their heads were bashed in, and there were blood on their clothes. Some were even missing several limbs. The imp teleported to move them inside the dome when the lights were out. Switching the lights off was a move we anticipated from Kaito, which we also used to our advantage.

It was chaos inside and people were all rushing toward the exits. The imp locked them from the outside.

Screaming. Panic. People trying to break down the doors.

The middle of the room was practically empty. Time to make my move, which was really just to walk to the middle of the room. I stepped over the bodies as I put on the mask of bandages over my face. As I got nearer the glass case of the missing Purple Majesty, I finally understood where Kaito was.

I started to laugh. People finally noticed me. (First of all, when the lights came back on, I can't believe that being dressed silly like that would take no one's attention. Maybe people are indeed as selfish as they say.) They stopped all the shoving and screaming. The entire dome was suddenly still and silent.

Nakamouri-keibu, who was trying to unlock the main entrance, walked toward me.

"I know who you are! " he said. The crowd parted to let him get near me.

"It's been a while, Phantom Lady," he said. His eyes never left me.

I curtsied. "I'm glad you remember me, keibu. I know you weren't the one assigned to my case, so I take it as a compliment that you recognize silly old me."

His pace got slower as he neared me. "So you and KID are conspirators now, huh? And these dead bodies are all just fake, huh?"

"Do you want me to make them dance for you, Nakamouri-keibu?" I asked.

"Where's KID?" he snarled. "Where's the gem?"

"My, my, we have the same questions in mind, but I think I already beat you to the answer…" I turned my gaze towards at the police officer who was leaning against the Purple Majesty case. The left side of his face was burnt.

I smiled as I reached for his coat pocket. My hand was inches away when his right hand suddenly came to life, and grabbed my wrist.

The police officer opened his eyes. "Not today, princess." He stood up. His hand never let go of my wrist, while his other hand materialized a white cape out of thin air, which covered us both. I struggled to get out of the cape and careful not to let go of his wrist.

"While we're holding onto each other like this, I know you can't escape from me, Kaito," I told him, as I finally managed to find the hem of the cape. I heard some screaming from those idiotic people.

"You were talking to someone under the cape, princess?" I heard his voice from somewhere above me.

As I got out from under the cape, I saw that a disembodied plaster hand was the one still grabbing my wrist. I looked up and saw Kaito in his original white suit, hanging onto an almost-invisible string from the ceiling. From his other hand dangled the golden chains that encased the Purple Majesty.

The crowd cheered. The police rushed to the front, enclosing on me.

"I knew you were going to use the fake dead bodies so when the lights came back on unannounced, I was prepared to be one of them. I'm surprised you noticed I wasn't one of your mannequins," he said.

"I know every damage to every mannequin. I made them myself," I replied.

He scoffed. "Poetic and very thorough. You haven't failed my expectations, but unfortunately, this battle is over." The almost-invisible string pulled him up. I noticed that a hole was created on top of the dome.

He was going to escape!

"GET THEM!" I heard Nakamouri-keibu shout and I saw the officers rushing toward me.

I took out the remote as fast as I could and pressed another button. There were sounds of small explosions from inside every fake dead body. Then they start to emit a heavy, red mist. The people inside the dome were coughing. One by one, they were dropping to the floor.

The officers immediately covered their faces with masks but they have carelessly stepped on the mannequins to get to me. This only made the emission worse. The red mist grew thicker. Ohoho, they were surely not prepared to handle this! See, there were particles in the mist itself that was like paint, and that stained and covered those stupid masks of the officers. They may not be falling asleep, but they are very much blind. If they remove their masks, however, they will surely fall onto the floor in no time.

"Keibu the mist is too thick and it's staining our masks!" said an officer who was waving his arms at me. I stuck my tongue out at him. I looked up and saw Kaito, who was being pulled up by the string, coughing.

"I learned a trick or two from you, you know," I told him.

The bandages on my face were actually not bandages but a mask so I wouldn't be able to inhale the sleeping gas. Furthermore, it's been treated with a solution of a counteracting agent so that the paint-like substance won't stain the eyepiece of the mask. Yes, there is an eyepiece underneath all the bandages. Just think of the bandage mask as some sort of one-way mirror. A one-way bandaged mask. Brilliant, don't you think? Ever wonder why Phantom Lady's face was completely covered with the bandages but she can still see? Now you know. That's just my personal touch to it, though. Kaito's okaa-san may just be peering through the gaps in the bandages.

"Ready to give up?" I asked.

He continued coughing. He sounded very bad. Then I realized he just got out of a fire a while ago, which is probably why he was easily affected by the paint-ridden smoke. I didn't want to kill him! Baka, I told myself. But this is not a time for sentiments.

The rope continued pulling him up. He was still getting away! I looked to my left and saw this metallic, tree-looking installation art. I didn't hesitate for a moment to climb up at it and used the branch as a springboard to somehow –

"OI OI BE CAREFUL WHERE YOU'RE TOUCHING!"

Success! I managed to get a hold of his feet and after years of gymnastic training (with a scythe, believe me) it was a cinch to climb up his legs.

"Get off me! This wire can't hold both of us!" he said. It may be the red clouds of mist, but I can also see an obvious reddening of his cheeks.

"I won't let you go until you give me the gem!" I told him.

"You're pulling my pants down and you're just inches away from my – "

Then I realized what I was facing – literally – and then my cheeks grew hot and I turned away. "It's not like I'm going to… I wasn't really – auuurgh just give me the gem! Or we both fall!"I stretched out an arm and started to grab for the gold chains.

He raised the arm whose hand was holding the chain. I shook him. It was probable that I broke some function of the pulley string thing, because we stopped ascending.

"Let go!" he said.

"I won't! Ever!" I continued to reach out to grab the gem. He moved it farther away from me, but then he suddenly cried out from pain. The golden chains of the gem slipped from his fingers. I caught it with my outstretched hand.

I squealed with glee, and dropped the chain around my neck. "Now the true victor of this heist is – "

My eyes widened as I saw the left sleeve of his suit started to stain with blood.

"How come you're – Your arm isn't healed yet! Baka! You overworked it! The wounds may have opened again!"

"And whose fault is that?" He groaned. "I can still… I can climb up the string… Using one hand… But you have to…"

"Are you insane?" I looked directly at him. "We'll use my escape route. I have a plan. Stay still!"

I held on tight to his waist with both my hands as I used my mouth to press a button on his belt. His hang glider was activated.

"Now let go of the string!" I told him.

"Into that?"

We both looked down and there was nothing except what looked like red, cumulus clouds.

"We have no choice!" I said.

He let go. We floated for a while and then we used the hang glider as some sort of parachute so we can safely land on the ground. As we entered the cloud, the visibility dropped to near zero. I was worried we'd land on some weird, pointy installation art. Luckily, we didn't.

Kaito was already donning a gas mask by the time we landed.

I grabbed onto his other arm. "The only way out is through the employees' exit. This way, come on!"

"I can't see anything! The paint is staining the front of my mask!" Kaito said.

I took out a small can of spray from my pocket. (Yes, the attire has a pocket of sorts, just so you know.) It's been filled with the same counteracting solution I used on my eyepiece. I sprayed a generous amount on Kaito's eye goggles.

"There," I said. I looked around and saw that the officers were all on the ground. They have all removed their masks. Civilians were all sleeping too, their clothes and faces stained with red paint.

Kaito pointed to the door farthest from the entrance. "That's the door nearest to the employees' exit, ne?"

I nodded. Kaito ran towards it. As I followed behind, I sent a short message to the imp, asking that he should unlock the door now. As we neared the door, Kaito stopped. A hand had grabbed his left foot. It was Nakamouri-keibu's.

He was lying face-down the ground and looked half-asleep when he raised his head. "KID… I know… I know that it's you… KID…"

"Let go, Nakamouri-keibu. I have won again, and you should accept your defeat," Kaito said as he shook off the keibu's hand.

The keibu struggled to hold on to his foot. "I… have promised… Aoko…. I said…"

I kicked his arm away to free Kaito's foot. The keibu moaned before dropping his head back down the floor.

"I figured you wouldn't have the heart to do that," I said. "Now, c'mon!"

He nodded and we both started running again toward the employees' exit. It unlocked as we approached it, and I could see the imp waiting outside.

"Congratulations on your victory, ojou-sama," he said as he eyed the purple gem around my neck.

"Chit chat later. Did you do as I say?" I crossed my arms.

"I checked the outside, ojou-sama. It is clear. The officers guarding it are asleep. All the others are still trying to break down the main entrance gate." The imp pointed to his left. "That way."

I looked left and right. The acid-white hallway, a mere six to seven feet in width, led to the employees' rooms and offices. It was completely deserted, save for some officers, who were asleep.

"My bag and the fake corpses are still inside," I said as I uncrossed my arms. "Clean the scene, leave no evidence behind then go home. We'll meet there." I looked at Kaito, whose suit was stained with blood red paint. He just took off his mask and he was panting and clutching his left arm.

"I can get Kuroba-kun back to the hospital myself," I continued.

The imp bowed and went back inside the dome, where we came from.

"I'm all right," Kaito said before coughing. He put a hand on my shoulder. "Maybe the mist just irritated my lungs a bit because of the – "

"Save your breath. It would not do you any good if you keep talking in that condition. Now let's just get out of here as soon as we can, before somebody else shows up."

"I don't know what you're talking about, princess."

I gave a sigh of frustration. "You know who I'm talking about! The crows! Those people!"

Kaito didn't budge.

"You really do want to meet them again, don't you?" I asked. "Even at the expense of your life…"

Kaito remained silent.

"Meet someone? Do you mean us?" said a familiar voice from someone to our right.

We both turned to see who it was. The boy I bumped into earlier was balancing a soccer ball on his knee. Beside him was Hakuba, still looking flushed, but now dressed in a collared shirt and loose-fitting jeans.

"Oh, it's the two of you," Kaito said.

I then realized that I have seen the boy before. He was the same boy who's on the news all the time, famous for chasing after KID.

"And it's the two of you," Hakuba said in a mocking tone. "I read about you, Miss Phantom Lady. I'm Hakuba Saguru."

"And I'm Edogawa Conan," the boy said. "A detective."

"Well, if you're both here for the gem, it's with me," I said, making my voice a bit raspy in an effort to disguise it. "I'm wearing it, as you can see. I'm the one you want, so just let him go."

"We can't do that, Miss Phantom Lady," Hakuba said. "We've been watching the live telecast of the heist, and we believe that the two of you are equally guilty for the stolen jewel."

"The coverage of the heist of the news crew from inside the dome was only until the red mist covered the cameras lens and the reporters probably fell asleep," the boy said. "But I can deduce that you two are indeed not working together. However, seeing you two now, escaping together, is convincing me that it is possible your disagreement inside the dome was just an act."

"And you're both wanted by several, international police organizations, anyway, so whether or not you're both involved in this heist or not, don't think we're going to let you out here so easy," Hakuba said.

Kaito, still clutching his arm, stepped in front of me. "They're right. They won't let us out here so easy. They will probably stall us in here to block the employees' exit until the other guards break down the main entrance and reach us. "

"I can knock you down too, you know," the boy said as he let the soccer ball fall in front of him, on the floor. "Then hand you over to the cops myself."

Hakuba took out two pairs of hand cuffs out of his pocket. "I'm quite the gentleman, so I'll give you a chance to surrender, Miss Phantom Lady… But before that, why all these theatrics? Why do this? Why this gem, after so long a disappearance?"

Hakuba stepped forward. I can't believe that only hours ago, he was holding my hand. Now he wants to put cuffs around them.

"Now let's not be so nosy about the lady's motives," Kaito said. "A secret makes a woman, a woman, after all."

The boy turned pale. "Where did you hear that?"

"Someone I know told me just recently," Kaito said "That's not your concern right now, isn't it? It's with me, and her… Now, before you take us in, maybe we have some time for one, last magic trick…"

Kaito took out the card gun. He aimed directly at the ceiling, at this spot directly above him. Instead of emitting a card, it shot out translucent strings, which multiplied and expanded into webs that trapped us all, except for him.

"You're familiar with my threads, detectives," Kaito said.

The two detectives looked very, very pissed. Any sort of movement they make, they surely would bump into any of the strings which surround their bodies. I couldn't understand what was so scary about the strings.

"What is it about these strings?" I asked as I brushed the aside, causing a domino effect on the other strings.

"NO DON'T – " both detectives said at the same time.

The strings fell on the three of us, and I smelled something that resembled a strong perfume. It was the last thing I remembered before I blacked out.

O O O

I was being carried by a fast-moving object, or someone… I opened my eyes and saw Kaito carrying me.

"We're almost at the exit, princess," he said in a cheerier tone.

I panicked. "Let me down! Your arm is injured!"

He put me down. "Well, I couldn't just leave you there…"

I was still a bit off-balanced once my feet landed on the ground. He caught me when my legs almost gave. My chest area also felt a bit heavier for some reason. I saw that he tied a handkerchief around his bleeding arm. I looked down and saw he didn't remove the jewel from me.

"You didn't take the gem away," I said in a whisper.

"You earned it," he said. "And when you volunteered to stay behind so they could let me go… I want to thank you for that…"

I could feel myself blushing. "Well my first priority was to get you out of here as soon as I could. The gem only came second," I avoided eyes.

He bowed. "Still, my thanks."

"Well we better get going before those detectives catch up with us. I'm awake now so they might be getting up, too," I said. I also realized that he was still holding me, so I broke away as soon as I could. "Let's go."

The door was just a few feet away from us.

"What was that string anyway?" I asked as I took a step forward.

"Threads laced with a sleeping toxic that paralyzes the muscles afterwards," he said and as soon as he said it, I felt my legs gave again.

He caught me again. "I tried it with the friends of those detectives a few weeks ago, during their interview that I ambushed."

"Not funny. We'll be slowed down. You should have just aimed the gun at those detectives," I said as I limped to the exit. He supported me with his good arm.

"You're not the type who makes a mistake like that," I continued. "Unless…"

"Once we get out of here, I can carry you out to a place where there are no cops," he said. "Behind the museum, there's this playground, and behind that, the Touto International Conference Hall and the Sakura Theater. They have big parking lots and you can change and escape from there."

"And you'll come with me, ne?"

His face remained stoic. "I have no choice but to go back and wait for them," he finally said, confirming my doubts.

I frowned. "You wanted to paralyze me too so I can't hinder you from meeting them, is that it?"

He didn't answer.

"Kuroba-kun, don't do this…" I clutched his arm harder.

"I've been waiting for this, princess. The chance to know what really happened to my father, and maybe, a chance to avenge him."

I looked at him. He had this serene, resolved expression that told me I won't be able to change his mind, no matter how much coaxing I do. We continued walking to the entrance. A few moments later, the door was in front of us.

"We can't just waltz out of here, looking like this," he said. "I suppose we could change into officers' uniforms I brought except – "

He pulled me down all of a sudden. A soccer ball passed over our heads and hit the door. It made a mark on the door, and it continued spinning. The ball was emitting smoke, and when I looked closely enough, even sparks of electricity. That was no ordinary ball, and that was no ordinary kick. The ball must've been kicked with so much force, enough to knock anyone unconscious for several hours.

We looked behind us and the boy was clutching his side and panting. Hakuba was walking behind him. He was holding on to the wall for support. They must have been feeling as weak as I do… but this Conan was the one who evidently kicked the ball. He definitely is no ordinary kid.

"Okay that settles it," Kaito said. "No time for changing costumes, let's just run out and trust your caretaker that all the police officers are asleep outside."

I nodded as he kicked open the door. He pulled me out. We have only taken a few steps outside when he shouted "Get down!" and fell on top of me.

A gunshot. There was definitely a sound of a gunshot as we crashed to the ground. Did the detectives shoot? The sound came from somewhere at our back.

Someone was also shouting. Something wet and sticky –

"Kuroba-kun!" I tried to sit up and pull Kaito up with me. He was clutching his side. Whatever was leaking from his side wasn't the paint.

He groaned. I took some bandages off my arm and applied pressure to the area. I looked behind him and the door was open where we came from. The detectives were nowhere in sight. The back door to the museum was indeed open but no one was around, save for the officers sleeping soundly inside the patrol cars scattered about the open air parking lot. Standing on top of the dome, however, was someone clearly holding a rifle.

I can see the silhouette aiming at us again and I stood up and shielded Kaito.

"Too late… Get away!" Kaito said.

"Chianti! Don't move!" said another, familiar voice.

Kaito and I turned our necks and saw Kisa-san in a red, body-hugging spandex. All her burns and injuries seemed to have vanished. She had fully recovered, in one way or another – that, or she must be wearing tons of cover up.

She had an earpiece and she was speaking on the microphone attached to it.

"CHIANTI ONE MOVE AND I WILL ORDER THEM TO SHOOT YOU!"

The figure on top of the dome dropped the rifle and walked away. To where, we couldn't see.

"Gomen, Kaito," Kisa-san said as she approached us. "She was aiming at Miss Phantom Lady but you were more selfless than I thought."

She turned to me. "You can't be Chikage, obviously. This wouldn't have happened if you just let Kaito use his escape route. If he exited through the hole in the dome, my associate who was waiting there would have just escorted him to our helicopter." She pointed an index finger to a police helicopter circling the dome. Kisa-san whispered something to her microphone and the copter started to descend to where we were.

"You've infiltrated the police?" I asked. I looked up and saw that it was the lone helicopter in the area above us. The other police copters were all scattered, most of them gathering at the front of the museum.

"That helicopter's just a prop but it helps us get around. Now this doesn't concern you. Kaito and I have some unfinished business to attend to." She pulled a pistol and pointed at me. The copter started to descend behind her.

Kaito stood up and stepped in front of me. "Let her go and I'll go with you quietly."

Kisa-san looked at Kaito, then at me, then back to Kaito. She nodded. "Only this time, and we'll keep an eye on her," she said.

Kaito sighed of relief. She turned around and beckoned him to follow her. Kaito took a step forward.

"Stop acting cool! I won't let you do that!" I said as I held on to his arm.

"Now girl, it's time to stop playing pretend," Kisa-san said. "The sooner you let Kaito go with us, the sooner he can get treated for his wounds. We actually have some medics, you know."

"Please, princess, do as she says," Kaito said without turning to look at me. Blood was still dripping to his side, where the burns and the gun shot him.

The copter finally landed on the parking lot, almost noiselessly (or I might have been going deaf) and Kisa-san opened the door to the cabin and gestured for Kaito to enter.

I couldn't see clearly who was flying the aircraft because it was too dark and whoever it was, was clearly dressed in all black. Oddly enough, I could distinctly see several strands of long, silver hair at the corner of the window at the back. Perhaps an old woman was one of the passengers inside.

Kaito took a step forward but before he could move his other feet, a soccer ball went past us and went straight into the open door. It obviously hit the driver because a second later, we heard some groaning from inside.

I looked behind, expecting to see the boy detective, who was obviously responsible for the ball, but what I saw instead was a bunch of metallic scrap flying towards our direction. I ducked and covered my head just as I heard the metallic scrap clang against the body of the copter.

A man was screaming. The copter was taking off. Kisa was also screaming. I was afraid to raise my head, in fear of other things that may just be kicked in our direction. How the hell was the boy able to kick all of those things at once, if they ever were even kicked?

I felt a gloved hand grab my arm and looked to see Kaito beside me, also crouching.

"C'mon stand up! Whoever is in that copter is making it rain bullets!" he said very fast as he pulled me to the direction of the parking lot exit.

When I looked up for a second, I could see that one side of the copter was dented where the metallic scraps hit them, and that the door was about to fall off. The bullets, however, were not aimed at us but to someone behind the patrol cars. It wouldn't take a lot to guess that the bullets were aimed at the boy and –

I gasped. "Hakuba!" I said as I was about to dart off in their direction.

"He'll be fine, but we have to escape now, before they start aiming at us," Kaito urged.

I nodded and ran behind him. I could hear the bullets hitting the patrol cars' windows, roofs, alarms… As we exited the parking lot, he stopped beside Kisa-san who was knocked over unconscious by what appears to be a sheet of tin with perforations. Her forehead was bruised where the sheet hit her. Kaito tried to lift her but he groaned as she slipped from his arms.

"What on earth are you doing? She'll slow us down!" I said before I noticed that the copter was flying away. "Not to mention you're injured!"

"We can't leave her here, and I still have questions for her!"

I groaned. "Fine I'll help you! But we have to run out of here because the copter is flying away and those detectives behind the patrol cars aren't distracted anymore. Assuming they're still alive, they may start kicking things at us next!"

I walked to Kisa-san and put an arm over my shoulder. Kaito did the same with the other arm and together, we hobbled past the open gate and into the open street. We dared not look back when we heard the detectives shouting after us. Kisa-san was heavy, and the heaviness in my chest grew for some strange reason. Maybe fatigue was taking over my body.

Outside the street, more officers were sleeping inside patrol cars. Several media crew and KID fans were also dozing off, sprawled in different directions on the pavement. I pitied them for a split second and wondered if they would later catch a cold with their backs on the road like that.

Kaito and I were careful not to step on the people so as not to wake them. The detectives were still shouting behind us. I didn't know if I was going deaf, but I couldn't understand what they were saying. I could hear someone whispering instead.

_Princess, let me…_

I shook my head. The fatigue must have made me imagine things.

In front of us was a children's park and behind it, I could see the theater and conference hall.

"Let's have her lie down on the park first and try to wake her up," Kaito said as we entered the empty park.

Hurried footsteps from somewhere behind us.

I finally looked back and saw the boy exiting the gate and going towards the direction where I saw the copter was headed. Hakuba was just behind him but instead of following the boy, he was going at our direction.

His left shoulder was bloody but other than that, he looked all right. I felt relieved for a moment.

"Matte KID and Phantom Lady!" he shouted.

"Oh what now, detective?" Kaito said in an irritated tone. "Are you really going to let that boy chase after that helicopter alone?"

"We've split up so I can catch you while he tries to follow your colleagues," he said as he stepped over some sleeping bodies. "And I hardly think they would continue to shoot unless they want to attract the attention of the other police copters in the vicinity."

Kaito sighed. "Well, I think they already have," he said and as he said it, I looked up in time to see that the other copters started to follow the rogue one where Kisa-san's colleagues were riding.

"But just to clarify, they're not our colleagues," I said.

"And since the other copters are already after them, what's stopping them now from shooting some more?" Kaito asked.

Hakuba turned pale.

"Will you really risk the boy's life and not help him? Is catching us more important to you than life?"

He frowned and pointed at us. "One day, KID, and you too, Phantom Lady," he said before speeding off after the boy detective.

"That's hitting two birds with one stone," Kaito said before signaling me to continue walking. "Two very insistent birds."

"Don't try to speak, save your strength," I told him. "Let's lie her down there underneath the slide and then I'll call the imp to take us to the hospital."

He nodded. As we got to the slide, we laid her down and Kaito took several, small lumps of smelling salts from his inside pocket and brought it near her face.

"I'm calling the imp," I said.

"Wait!" Kaito objected. "Just a few more questions before I go back to the clinic."

I frowned. "Can it wait? We can just lock her up in the hospital again, you know."

"And risk her escaping again?" Kaito scoffed. His other hand touched her forehead. He was trying to rub it or something.

"There were burns exactly here when we got out of the laboratory," he said. "And she isn't wearing any make-up concealer now. Her skin as fully healed for some miraculous reason."

I felt a chill down my spine. "Maybe she's one of my kind…"

"I thought you were a witch, not a vampire," he said with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

I rolled my eyes. "Those are just names you people call for misunderstood beings of our kind, those creatures with a specific and specialized skills set. It's also possible that she is cursed."

"Or just that her organization has some kick-ass doctors," Kaito supposed.

"These scientists and doctors you people have, the gods aren't always pleased with them, you know," I said without thinking.

Kaito shrugged. "Not my problem." He continued to wave the smelling salts in front of her face. Finally, she came about.

She blinked open her eyes and looked at us in a daze.

"Where are we?" she asked. She sat up and looked around. Her eyes told she was in panic.

"Don't worry, it's just us and we're at the playground outside the museum," Kaito said.

"You're still bleeding," she said as she looked at his side.

"I'm okay, I think it's just a flesh wound," he said. "We'll go to the hospital as soon as you answer my questions…"

"Where are they?" she cut. "And what happened to the boy?"

"He started shooting or kicking those metal scraps at you. I supposed he got them from the garbage chute," Kaito said. "You were knocked out and the boy kept shooting those scraps from behind the police cars – he may be using some gadget of some kind to be shooting a lot of those at once – and they were hitting your copter too so they were forced to flee."

"And leave you there all alone," I added. "Some comrades you have."

"No they did the right thing," she said. "I could manage on my own, but the police copters would be following them after the commotion that boy has caused."

"So that was his plan, huh?" Kaito thought aloud.

"I know you're familiar with that boy," Kisa-san remarked.

"Of course I am, and I am somehow inclined to think he might be familiar with you too," Kaito said.

"A secret makes a woman, a woman," Kisa-san said, after which a smile formed on her lips.

I was feeling dizzy now. The heaviness in my chest is becoming bothersome now... or maybe there was an injury I sustained… We have to finish this pseudo-interrogation and go back to the hospital fast.

"Can we start with the questions you want to ask her?" I asked in irritation.

"I just have one question for her, actually…" Kaito breathed in deeply. "Kisa-san, how did my father really die?"

She sighed. "I wasn't completely truthful to you… The photograph I showed you of the class, I was there but that was already the second time I took Toichi's class. The first time was about a year before you were born, around the time KID was just starting… We were his first students, a certain young actress and me, and his class was very informal and we didn't have class pictures then, not like the second time I took his classes.

"There probably also isn't a log with our names either and the organization preferred it that way. I was asked to investigate if he was indeed KID so we can enlist his help, but I didn't expect that I'd fall in love with him," she said.

I almost gasped when I heard her say this.

"Of course, my love was in vain because she was already in love with Chikage, the original Phantom Lady," she continued.

I frowned. "And what am I? A fake one? Even the original KID has been replaced, so why can't Phantom Lady be – "

Kaito shot me a look.

"Fine, I'll save my rebuttals later. For the meantime, please go on, Kisa-san," I said.

"Where was I? Maa, before I was rudely interrupted, I was saying that I loved Toichi, really I did, and it was because of that that I chose not to tell the organization that he was KID, even if my investigation proved otherwise. I tried to put him out of my mind but over seven years later, I was asked to re-investigate because we had an urgent concern that really needed the talents only KID can provide.

"And he was doing some formal teachings of magic then, so I reconnected with my actress friend and asked if she was willing to take a refresher course with me, and she agreed. That was the class of the photograph I showed you. We were really happy then, and I realized I was still in love with him more than ever. I was planning to deny that he was KID again, but our boss ran a parallel investigation so I had no choice but to admit to my earlier mistake and acknowledge that Toichi is the man we were looking for.

"But the boss is a very complex person, and a very jealous one. When he found out I was in love with Toichi, he was so jealous that he decided to run our course in another direction – a direction that didn't need KID, but needed him dead.

"I warned Toichi. I confessed everything to him, and he said that he already knew that I was a spy of some sort but decided to just play along, for my safety. He also told me not to worry because several organizations are already after him. On the day of his last show, a lot of those organizations actually set up some booby traps on the stage. He was careful to avoid all of those except for the one that exploded…" she said.

Kaito looked away as she said this. I reached for his shoulder.

"I was backstage when it happened and I saw him escape, truth be told, but just in time to face the bullet the boss fired at him. Whether he died from the bullet or from the injuries because of the explosion, I couldn't tell. The boss was already pulling me to outside. The rest, of course, is as you know. The place burned down as everyone left in panic. I tried to look for you and Chikage after that but you kept on moving. Over a year ago, when KID reappeared, I already knew that it must be Toichi's son and I promised myself I would resume looking for you as soon as my schedule frees up. Then that article came out and it made my job easier. I told the boss what I know and he agreed that even if we really didn't need your services, an extra hand is always helpful." She kept on looking down the entire time.

"Then why did you suggest that you needed Kaito in the first place?" I asked.

"For protection. I bet those other organizations who were after KID before will still be after him now, and if he was with us, we'll be able to protect him at least. We're quite powerful you know," she said matter-of-factly. She put a hand on Kaito's shoulder. "Please believe me."

I shook off her hand. "But your boss was the one who killed his father! And now you're asking him to join your group! What's your assurance the boss wouldn't just kill him too?" I was angry now, and very much confused. The heaviness in my chest area wasn't going away either. I felt drained.

"The boss was jealous of the father, and not the son," she said. "The boss himself admitted that if it wasn't for his jealousy, we definitely would have needed KID. Toichi would've been kept alive, protected, even… Now he's dead simply because I loved him… I wanted Kaito to join only because I wanted to protect him, so the same thing won't happen…"

The three of us were silent for a while.

"I've managed fine on my own this past year, thanks," Kaito finally said. There was neither hurt nor hatred in his voice. He actually sounded a bit calm.

"My answer is still no," he continued. "KID works alone, and if ever there comes a day I'll align myself with a group, I'd rather choose my comrades myself, and not be forced into something. As for those organizations which were after my father, I'll get them all one by one, including yours."

Kisa-san scoffed. "You're another bullet I have to worry about, I presume." She raised her hand that was surprisingly armed with Kaito's card gun. She smiled and pointed at us.

I gasped for real this time. When did she get that? I didn't notice at all! Well, I wasn't looking at her hands in the first place, I was too engrossed in her story!

"Oi is that really my gun?" Kaito desperately searched his pockets.

Kisa-san laughed. "Thievery and magic are illusions designed to deceive. We had the same teacher, remember? I also learned from the best."

She pulled the trigger and those translucent strings shot out again, and this time, they landed straight at our faces.

O O O

For how long we slept, I didn't know… But it shouldn't have been very long. The moon was still out and it was just the two of us in the park. Kisa-san was obviously gone. The card gun lay between us and I was impressed for a moment that she didn't take it. Well, getting away from us may be enough.

I shook Kaito. "Hey, get up, she's gone and I think it's no use to look for her now. Let's just go back to the hospital."

I coughed. I felt really drained and felt incredibly heavy.

Kaito opened his eyes and slowly sat up. He groaned and clutched his side. "Bad fall, I landed on my injury," he said.

"Let's get going before you die of blood loss," I said. The dizziness was overpowering now.

Kaito's eyes widened as he pointed at me.

"What are you pointing at?" I asked.

"The Purple Majesty! I just noticed it now that it's gotten – "

"What about it?"

"And your neck and chest – they're… they're being…"

I looked down and saw that the Purple Majesty has somehow found its way underneath the bandages. It protruded like this big, ugly insect with many legs. I tore open the bandages and saw a ghastly sight. The gem has somehow burrowed itself onto my chest and the veins and arteries are pumping blood directly into the gem.

I scratched at it and it wouldn't come off.

Scratch, scratch, scratch.

Suddenly, I could hear a voice…

_Blood of my blood, the last princess, the heiress of the witches of Red, give yourself to me… Be one with me… Give me your blood and I shall give you power…_

I was losing consciousness but at the same time, somewhere deep inside me, I could feel something waking.

_Submit to me, forget everything, give me your blood and I shall live in you and live using this power…_

"Who are you and why do you want my body?" I whispered to it, whatever it is.

_I am the cursed prince who lives inside this gem and I need a host – a host that should be of the blood of our beings… I know that you have recently lost your power but I can give you back it, if I can live inside your body… Be one with me, do not resist…_

"Hey Akako! What's happening?" I can hear Kaito say but my vision has blurred and I couldn't see him clearly.

"Akako what should I do?" he kept on saying.

I was falling, that I was sure of. Not to the ground, maybe, but somewhere deeper.

"AKAKO!"

Then suddenly, I could see again, as if someone had poured cold water over me and forced open my eyelids.

Kaito was staring at me and he was so near, as if he was connected to me somehow. I panicked upon realizing the worst –

I looked down and saw that Kaito's chest was connected to me via the gem between us, that was underneath both the flesh of our chests.

"What on earth did you do?" I asked him.

"Saved you, I think," he said. "I caught you as you were about to fell and I hugged you and the gem sort of attached itself to me, too. I think it's getting blood from my heart as well. Now that it's busy getting blood from two sources, you'll have a bit of your strength back." He managed to smile.

"Baka! You're losing too much blood as it is! You'll die!" I cried. And I really was crying.

He was so pale and his lips were chapped. I touched his hand and it felt so cold. The gem was draining whatever blood he has left.

"I'm sorry, Kuroba… I'm sorry, it wasn't supposed to be this way… I just wanted my power back…" I kept on crying.

He reached out and touched my cheek. "You really are beautiful, Akako, even when you are crying… And I'm so happy I got to know you a lot better these past few days…"

"Don't talk like that! You can't die here! Not now that you've known the truth about your otou-san! You have to avenge him so you can't die here!" I said very loudly.

He was closing his eyes. "Of course I know that," he said very weakly.

I didn't know what come over me, but I leaned forward and kissed him. He kissed back as he pulled my body closer to his. I pulled back once I realized something.

"Kuroba, do you trust me?" I asked.

"With my life," he replied.

"Good answer. Now, just close your eyes for a second," I asked of him.

He smiled and did exactly as I told. I started to cry again when I pulled the obsidian dagger from its hiding place behind my thighs.

I raised it and aimed straight at his heart.

_Next Chapter: The Princess and The Moon_


	6. The Princess and The Moon

Disclaimer: I don't own DC or MK.

Author's note: I'm back from rehab. And now I'm finally finishing this story!

The interview mentioned here is another reference to Feature Story, which I also wrote.

In honor of the Blood Moon. This story is for Elizabeth.

O O O

_Chapter 6: The Princess and The Moon_

_Aoko was horrified as she watched the news but she was even more horrified to find out that Akako, Kaito, and the mysterious girl from the laboratory went missing. Hakuba promised to find them and he hasn't returned._

_She has also been feeling uneasy the whole time. She knew for sure it wasn't the usual jealousy she felt. She also felt that someone was watching her. Did the hospital have CCTVs installed inside rooms?_

_The news feed about the heist from inside the museum was cut and the reporters were now following a police helicopter gone rogue. Edogawa Conan, who Aoko met during the interview, and Hakuba were also seen by the cameras in pursuit of the partially damaged flying vehicle. _

_It crashed somewhere in the children's park and by the time the police and the young detectives found the remains of the helicopter, its occupants were gone._

_The reporters were trying to interview the detectives and how the rogue police helicopter was connected to KID, but both detectives denied it. Hakuba said that there may be vigilantes after KID. _

"_In this case, the public must remember not to get involved or form vigilante groups to catch criminals," Hakuba said to the camera. "Of course I sympathize with their anger and frustration over the fact that high-profile thieves like KID and Phantom Lady still run free, but rest assured that the police HQ and detectives are doing their very best." _

"_That Hakuba! He said he'll look for Akako and Kaito but obviously he just wants to go to KID!" Aoko muttered._

_Conan was later interviewed by the television crew about almost catching KID again and he was scolded by Hakuba for getting involved in another case. _

"_I know that KID doesn't harm people especially little kids like me that's why I feel safe going after him," Conan said in his usual carefree tone. "But now that I know there are other groups involved, I think I'll stay out of his case for a while."_

_Then a shadow came over his face. Aoko couldn't help but feeling that Conan was very sad because of another reason. _

_Aoko's phone rang._

"_Otou-san! Are you all right?" she said once she picked up._

"_Aoko, you must have been scared. Did you watch the news? Gomen… I wasn't able to catch KID like I promised you. It's because that Phantom Lady interfered! But if she didn't I was almost able to catch him!" Nakamouri-keibu said very fast. _

"_I'm still watching the news, otou-san. What's with that helicopter anyway? Are they vigilantes like what Hakuba said on TV?"_

"_We still don't know yet. The fact that they were able to create a helicopter like the police's and carry firearms must mean they're not ordinary vigilantes, that's for sure!"_

"_I see…" _

"_So don't go out tonight, okay? Stay in the hospital!"_

"_Of course, otou-san!" _

_As soon as she hung up, she felt a cold run down her spine. She couldn't explain it._

"_Aoko…" she heard a voice whisper._

"_Kaito?" _

_She looked around but found herself alone in her hospital room. She thought she heard Kaito's voice. Was she outside the door? She checked it. No one was there. No one was in the bathroom, too. No one was outside the window. She was completely alone. _

_She went back to lie on the bed and she started crying. She doesn't know why but she couldn't stop the tears, too. _

O O O

The shiny black blade hit Kaito's heart. He didn't even let out a groan. The smile, however, vanished from his face.

Then at once, darkness enveloped us. The ground beneath us began to move. I was sure we weren't in the park anymore.

It began to grow hot and then cold. Even without seeing anything, I knew at once we were in hell.

"Welcome back, your majesty," said a voice only my people can hear. He said it in a mocking tone, almost as if he wanted to taunt me.

I couldn't see him. All I could see was the darkness. All I could feel was the gem in my chest which was a missing heartbeat. _Any minute now… _

"But it seems that you can't see me and you don't have your powers anymore," it continued. "It's your fault, you know. You use your powers so carelessly and you attacked a cursed woman."

So Kisa-san _was_ cursed.

"Lucifer! I command you to take my offering and give me back my powers!" I shouted. I was scared but I still had to maintain my authority.

A shrill laugh echoed. "But you already have the _Undying_ and it has latched onto you. Give into it and you will have your powers back."

"Misfortune falls to anyone who uses this," I said, remembering the story of Hakuba and the geologist. "I won't use it. I'll use my offering instead."

"You'll give me this boy you love so much?" asked the voice.

"Yes," I said with conviction.

Another shrill laugh. The darkness was beginning to lift. Hazy shadows were beginning to form in front of my eyes. I could feel the jewel at my chest growing hot. I was past the point of feeling weak… I was now feeling something else…

_Any minute now… _

"Are you sure, your majesty? There is no turning back. This boy means a lot to you… And he died so tragically, betrayed by his princess and without ever avenging his poor father."

The jewel at my chest now has a heartbeat. It was one with mine. My vision was restored. In front of me was Lucifer, still as ugly as ever. Kaito's corpse hangs inches away from his jaws. The creatures of the underworld were swarming around us, all curious of the spectacle, all witnessing history as I finally concede to Lucifer.

"Yes, take the boy. He is a nuisance to me. Give me my powers back!"

He laughed his shrill laugh and with one gulp engulfed Kaito's body. And at the same time, I could feel my body grow hot. Soon, I felt electricity coursing throughout my body. It was my power coming back. I screamed in pain. It was too much.

The jewel, still attached to me, broke apart. There was another scream from the prince trapped inside, who was finally freed, only to be sucked inside Lucifer's mouth who was still hungry for more souls.

As I continued screaming, Lucifer continued to laugh.

_Any minute now…_

The process was finally complete. I could feel it. And once it was over, Lucifer knew it too, but it was too late for him.

"How can a normal mortal stand all that shock of power? How come you're still standing? It should take you months, no, years, before you can recover!" he said, confused.

It was my turn to laugh. "Oh so you did give me back all of my powers? Thank you for confirming."

His ugly face, with his huge ugly eyes and ugly mouth were wide from surprise.

"Are you that simple-minded, Lucifer? I suppose you are and this is why you serve me and not the other way around," I said.

"But why…"

"Oh yes a human can't stand that power, but an ordinary witch, even a feeble one, could."

The moment he realized his mistake, it registered on his face.

"So you…"

I made a scythe materialize on my hands. "Yes, when you granted me power, I already had my powers back because of the _Undying_. And you know what happens to a witch who is given more powers?"

I didn't even give Lucifer time to answer it.

"She can conquer death!" I shouted as I directed the scythe to his mouth, ripping it wider as I jumped in.

O O O

_The girl who called herself by many names was frantically running away from the children's park. Her colleagues call herself "Vermouth" and she now knows why. She was sweet and bitter and dry. _

_She couldn't die, though. Try as hard as she might, she couldn't. After some freak experiment she can vaguely remember, she can't age. Her wounds heal faster than most normal beings, too, like Wolverine's or Dorian Gray's. This does not mean, however, that they don't sting._

"_Shit," she said as she massaged both her temples. She had to stop running for a while. She felt like she got hit by a car. _

_Surely by now her colleagues have escaped. She would need to join them at their hideout at a nearby hotel. She looked around. She was in the parking lot in Sakura Theater. Stopping for a while won't hurt, she thought. She just needed to catch her breath. _

_Then out of nowhere, she heard footsteps. _

"_It seems like my son's hunch was right but not completely right," said a voice she recognized. _

_It was Kudou Yukiko holding a gun. "He told us to block off possible escape routes for KID but he didn't tell me other people will be escaping too… And looked who just walked into my turf."_

"_Get out of here, Yukiko, this is none of your business," Vermouth said. _

"_I was watching the news from my phone. Chikage has reappeared, huh?"_

"_No it wasn't her."_

"_Another apprentice, then. So you're going after her too? The same way you're going after KID now?" asked Yukiko who was still pointing the gun at her._

"_Put down the gun, Yukiko. It doesn't suit you. Besides, I won't try to shoot you. I've had enough action for one night. We're not after your son this time and maybe after this incident, we won't be after KID, too."_

_Yukiko didn't put his gun down. "I won't let you harm him, you know. I won't let you harm him the same way you harmed his father. I know that your shady organization was involved in that too." _

"_Weren't you listening? We won't be after KID anymore. Of course he was a nuisance to our operations at the Bell Tree Express and I was able to convince my boss that it's better if he was on our side but after tonight's fiasco, I don't think he will want him on our team anymore," Vermouth said. "He's too famous and attracts too much police and publicity. We don't work that way."_

"_We had you fooled that time and remember this, Sharon, or Chris, or whatever you call yourself now, you lay one finger on my son or Kaito, and I will personally kill you."_

_Vermouth had to laugh. "Please, be my guest… But not tonight…" _

_She took out her own gun from her pocket and shot Yukiko, who fell at once._

"_I thought you loved him…" Yukiko said as she clutched her left leg. She won't be able to go after her now. _

_Vermouth frowned. "I did," she said, before running away again. _

O O O

Being inside Lucifer's mouth is no vacation. All around me were unfortunate souls who suffered the worst kind of fate in the afterlife. It was kind of those labyrinth gardens but instead of the hedges made out of plants, were the intertwined, black blobs of souls.

They have no form, actually. They barely resemble any human form. They just look like black liquid. I was about to wonder if Kaitou took on that form when I saw a spark of light from way ahead of me.

I followed that light, certain it was Kaito, and I was proven right when I saw his glowing body lying on the ground. He looked like he was just sleeping.

"Kuroba! Kuroba-kun!" I was trying to wake him. In my mind I knew he was dead but something tells me he's not.

I touched his bare chest where the _Undying_ latched onto his body. It had scarred where the gem fed on his blood. I couldn't feel any heartbeat. He was very much dead but I knew how to get him back.

However, it would take a big sacrifice from me. The act of resurrecting someone would mean I have to lose my powers again.

"Hang in there, Kuroba," I said as I cut my forefinger with my scythe.

Several drops of blood fell on his chest and I used it as sort of an ink to inscribe several words.

I said those words, a spell passed down my family. I said it without hesitation despite losing my powers again and giving up the long life I was bound to live.

I repeated the spell two more times to create the triangle of faith, the strongest structure of magic, to seal it within Kaito's body.

After I said the last word, Kaito's wound closed and he glowed brighter than ever. I covered my eyes. When I opened it, we were in the park again.

"I think it worked, Kaito," I told him. He was still lying on the ground. He didn't answer me.

"Hey! We're okay now. We're back. And we better get back to the hospital," I said as I stood up.

He didn't move an inch.

"It's over, Kaito. You can wake up now." I kneeled beside him and nudged his body several times.

"This isn't funny, Kuroba-kun!" I slapped his face. Still no answer.

Damn it! What did I do wrong? Should I have another go at the spell? I looked around for my scythe which was nowhere in site. I tried to materialize another one but I couldn't. As expected, I was drained of my powers again.

I was confused. I lost my powers again. It means the spell has worked. What is happening? Without knowing it, I cried onto his chest.

"Wake up, Kaito! Please, you can't do this to me. Don't leave me like this. I tried to save you. Please, Kuroba-kun, I'm sorry. I'm sorry… I… I love you, Kaito…"

And I did the dumbest thing I could do next. I kissed the effing bastard on his lips like an effing prince in an effing fairytale.

And like magic, that thief opened his eyes. "I was waiting for that," he said then smirked.

I could have slapped him, and I would, but not now. I just half-cried and half-laughed while beating his chest.

"You're so stupid, why did you do that?"

"Oi oi that still hurts, you know. And stop crying will you, princess?"

I just kept crying. I was too happy to even bother.

"But you're crying again so that means you lost your powers again, huh?"

I looked at him. "How do you know that?"

"When I was dead, or whatever I was, I kind of saw and knew everything. I was like floating. I was everywhere all at the same time. I think my soul or whatever hung around. I could see that detective boy and Hakuba and the press, I could see Kisa-san and Yukiko-san, I could see Aoko…"

Then he looked away. He looked sad. It was the face I've seen so many times this week. He tried to look happy all the time but the truth is, he was sad and tired maybe even angry and he can't show it to anyone.

"I don't know how I can repay you, princess," he continued. "But I will be dishonest if I can tell you that I can repay you with my love. I wish I could. I mean, you're perfect. If I was an ordinary boy and you're an ordinary girl, I could."

He sat up without breaking free from my embrace.

"But we're not and you love someone else," I finally said. I tried to wipe the tears away.

He offered me a handkerchief but it was stained with paint and blood and who knows what else. I waved it away.

"I wish I can have a clean one, though," I said.

Then the most extraordinary thing happened. A handkerchief _poofed_ out of nowhere and appeared on my open hand.

"Did you do that?" I asked him.

He shook his head. He looked as dumbfounded as me.

I tried to concentrate again. I want gold coins to fall out of the sky.

I opened my eyes. No gold coins falling out of the sky. I closed my eyes again and tried to concentrate. Maybe something simpler. I want a glass of orange juice.

And _poof_!

An orange juice materialized on the ground before us.

"Oi your powers are back!" he said, looking genuinely happy.

"Maybe I'm just stressed and can't do the bigger spells now. Or maybe it was that double shock of power I got a while ago. Maybe only one level of my power was erased from the resurrection spell," I supposed. I made a mental note to ask the imp about it.

"Well we sure can't teleport back to the hospital but maybe nice clean clothes will do us good for now. We can't raise any more suspicions and I bet the police are still scouting the area," Kaito said.

I made the clothes materialize and Kaito made a crass remark about dressing in front of each other.

"You've seen me naked too many times this week," I said, raising a brow. "I'll go change behind that tree."

"I was kidding, princess!" he said and I walked over to the tree to change.

"You know what?" he continued.

"Hmm?" I was getting into a pair of shorts.

"When I was in the uhm the afterlife, I thought I'd see my chichi," Kaito said. "I'm kind of sad that I didn't. This whole night I was thinking that if I die, at least I'd get to see my chichi. That's why I was ready to die."

He was already dressed when I stepped out from behind the tree. "But we were in hell. I doubt your otou-san is in hell."

He smiled – probably the first real smile I've seen from him since this whole mess started. "You're right."

O O O

It was almost midnight when we got back from the hospital. Like the thieves we were, we snuck back into Kisa-san's room. Then the nurse who lent us the phone walked into the room. I gave her back her phone, which was, from some miracle, still intact. I removed the records, of course.

"Where is the patient? In the bathroom?" she asked but as soon as she opened it, she panicked.

"Where is the patient? What did you do to the patient?!" she said sternly.

Then I summoned my hypnosis charm, which was quite easy to do.

"Kaito, hold her," I said and he did as I told.

I tried simple hypnosis on her and it worked like a charm. We even told her to fix the papers to make it look like Kisa-san was already eligible for discharge. We were pretty sure she won't be back and we were afraid that if she was found missing, the hospital and the school will launch a full-scale investigation, which can implicate us in the end.

We went to Aoko's room after the hypnosis. The girl was crying like a little baby.

"You guys are back!" she croaked.

"We told you, we were just in Kisa-san's room," Kaito said. "Her relatives visited her and had her discharged too."

"What?! But she has wounds all over her body!" Aoko almost shouted.

"Well she kind of recovered really fast and maybe they just want to take care of her at home?" Kaito supposed.

That healing fast is definitely true.

"It's none of our business. Anyway, how are you, Aoko?" I asked to be kind.

"I was just watching the news and I felt weird the whole time. Like I was scared that I was going to lose something important to me. I thought that dad or you Kaito or Hakuba, or even you, Akako… I thought someone was in danger," she said.

Am I supposed to be touched by that sentiment? Okay yeah it kind of did, just a little.

"Well, we're all right, aren't we?" I smiled. My best effort to smile. Kaito looked pleased with this. "And we're all here. Well, almost all of us."

Right on cue, the door opened and Nakamouri-keibu, Hakuba, that little detective brat Conan and her girl chaperone went in.

"Oh you're all here!" Nakamouri-keibu said.

"Aoko-chan!" the girl with the weird-shaped bangs said.

"Ran-chan!" Aoko said.

"I heard what happened to you and Kuroba-kun and Hakuba-kun! Kazuha-chan was calling too and was worried," she said. "I also brought Conan-kun here because he got wounded. Not badly, thank god."

"I saw in the news! Are you okay, Conan-kun? You're really brave for going after KID," Aoko said.

The boy nodded. He was unusually quiet, knowing he was such a big talker when I faced off with him as Phantom Lady. Then I saw him staring at me and my body, almost as if he was getting my measurements.

"Oi perv, where are you staring at?" I asked as I covered my breasts.

"Oh I was just thinking that you must be a gymnast and that you handle weapons too, like that Phantom Lady I saw earlier," he said innocently.

"You also have a fresh wound on your hand," he said as he pointed to my forefinger.

"That's just a scratch I got from the explosion from the school," I lied. I looked away but the boy kept staring.

Then the girl called Ran said, "Oh I remember you. We bumped into you while going to the museum. I'm Mouri Ran and this is Edogawa Conan. We're sorry about that again."

"Koizumi Akako," I said.

"We met Mouri-san and her friends while doing the interview. She's the daughter of the Sleeping Kogoro," Hakuba explained.

"Oh so everyone knows one another?" Nakamouri-keibu laughed. "That's good. Maybe you should all stay here in the hospital tonight. We're not sure yet if outside is safe. Just look after one another, okay?"

"Nakamouri-keibu," I called after him.

"What is it, Koizumi-san?"

"That group uhm who appeared after KID and Phantom Lady, who were they?" I asked.

He sighed deeply. "Hakuba here thinks it's a vigilante group but your guess is as good as mine. I have to return to my officers now. We still have to clear the area."

He closed the door behind him.

We were all silent for a while. It's like we shared this bond we all can't talk about. Finally, Kaito spoke.

"Well all this excitement got me hungry. Who wants to order food?"

We all raised our hands.

O O O

Later that night, Yukiko-san went to visit us and talked to Kaito. Kaito would later tell me that Yukiko-san confessed that she knew about his father being KID and that she might know who was after the KID that appeared that night.

"She said she had a friend from my chichi's old disguise school and she thought she was dead but now she's going by a different name and hanging out with a dangerous group. She said that group wants to harm her family too and she thinks they want to harm me," Kaito recalled.

"Did she say who they were?"

He shook his head. "She just knows that much. Oh but she said she met that friend she was talking about, who I presume to be Kisa-san, and she said that they may take the target off KID for now but I should still be careful."

I covered my mouth in shock. "So she also knows you're KID?"

Kaito laughed. "She kept using the conditional 'if' so that means she's not a threat. She said, 'If you're who I think you are,' and 'If you are KID,' like that."

We were all discharged from the hospital that weekend, with promises of going to the hot springs together. I said no, of course, but that girl Ran and Aoko kept pestering me. A part of me was kind of happy, I had to admit, to be invited to something as mundane as a hot springs resort. Is this what mortals do to bond?

"It will be funny, I promise!" Aoko said. "Kazuha-chan and Hattori-kun will be there too. They're also our friends."

"Another riot in the making," Hakuba sighed. He didn't look pleased too.

"I'm actually surprised you want to go," I told him.

"Well, that's because you're going," he said.

He smiled his usual sweet smile and I couldn't help returning it.

O O O

We all returned to school a week after the incident. The laboratories were still sealed off and construction was ongoing.

The excitement about the explosion, about KID and Phantom Lady, about the mysterious organization that may be targeting the famous phantom thief all died down in a matter of days. News organizations could report nothing but speculations. Most of them focused on the fact that KID wasn't able to return the gem this time, after the police headquarters received a note that the gem was destroyed. The owner was actually thankful. He started to believe it was cursed since his museum opening was a mess and he had to pay for damages during the shoot-out after the heist.

Kaito and I were still jumpy and paranoid after the first few days and I heard he was in contact with the detective brat Conan too.

"It seems like the little detective got on the wrong side of that black organization too," Kaito told me one morning before homeroom.

"But I bet they're keeping a low profile for now, especially since they got unwanted publicity from the whole KID affair," I supposed.

"How are, princess?" he asked.

"I can successfully curse you to be my slave, if that's what you're asking." I was gesturing that I was going to pull a strand of his hair.

"That's the Akako I know! I was beginning to worry that you were becoming a bit soft. I have seen you cry and laugh the past few weeks and it actually scares me."

I got honestly angry this time. "Scary eh? I'll show you scary!"

He laughed. "But I like this Akako better. More human but no less extraordinary."

I blushed. I knew he saw it at once because he winked. Then he walked to Aoko's seat and started teasing her about something. I boiled in anger.

"One of these days, Kuroba, I will get you…"

Then I stared away as the two lovebirds started laughing. The windows of the classroom were open and the sky was clear and blue.

"_Once upon a time there was a princess who fell in love with the moon…"_ The crisp British accent on his voice was pronounced. I didn't even bother to look behind me. I knew Hakuba Saguru was there. Why was it that I suddenly felt nervous?

"The princess was given three options but she didn't choose any of them. Instead, she spent a lifetime of suffering, just staring at the moon and loving from afar," he continued saying. "You know what I think was unfair? The fairy didn't give a fourth option."

"And what's that?"

Hakuba sighed. "Turn around, princess. Turn around and meet your prince."

I felt my heart beating faster. It's not the same feeling I have for Kaito. It's different. It's new.

Most fairytales would have me, the princess, turn around so I can see Hakuba, all dashing and caring and smart and kind. He would claim me and we would kiss and I would forget that I was ever in love with Kuroba Kaito.

But this isn't a fairytale. I didn't turn around. I simply said, "The princess doesn't need a prince. That's the kind of sexist ending feminists are so angry at."

Hakuba laughed and sat on a chair beside me. "A knight, then. Even if the princess is capable to protect herself, she may need a knight to help her catch the moon."

I laughed. Not the kind of heartless laugh one normally hears when I am cursing someone, but a genuine laugh of happiness. "I bet you all the gems in the world that the knight and the princess can definitely catch that moon."

O O O

END


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